
The Green Bay Packers head into the 2026 NFL Draft looking to fill some holes on a championship roster. They let many starters from last year walk in free agency, which was likely the right thing to do. For years, this team has championed the “draft and develop” motto, finding hidden gems that turn into star players. The Super Bowl window is open and if the Packers are going to take advantage, the draft is a critical first step.
The Green Bay Packers have seven picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Micah Parsons trade leaves the Green Bay Packers without a first round pick. While that hurts, GM Brian Gutekunst would still pull the trigger on that trade one hundred percent of the time. The only additional pick the team has is a seventh round compensatory pick. This puts immense pressure to get the most of out of the picks, but also makes them a candidate to trade back and acquire additional captial.
The Green Bay Packers have very little team needs on offense. Their skill positions are set. While they lost Romeo Doubs in free agency, the ensemble of Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Tucker Kraft, and Josh Jacobs are perfectly capable of making this offense elite. A backup running back could be a need with MarShawn Lloyd being a huge question mark but that’s it. The offensive line is the place I would expect the Packers to invest the most draft capital. Aaron Banks and Anthony Belton will likely have a short leash this season and another young player to compete and add depth would be nice.
This team needs help on defense. The secondary was abysmal last season, only looking good when Parsons could get pressure on the quarterback to force bad throws. Gutekunst did go out and get Benjamin St-Juste and could end up taking a flyer on another player, but this team needs some young talent. Additionally, the Javon Hargrave signing helps with the interior line but the team needs more depth if they are going to stop the elite rushing attacks in the NFC North.
A quick note about the mock draft. I am avoiding trades for my own sanity. It doesn’t matter what crazy offer I’m given, I’m ignoring it.
In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers took an skill position player for the first time in two decades. This year, it’s back to the defense. Lawrence is a high-motor player who has a huge arsenal of pass rush skills. Having lost Rashan Gary and Kingsley Enagbare, Lawrence provides some critical edge depth. I would expect Gutekunst to take at least two cornerbacks in this draft. Neal and Davis fell perfectly in back-to-back picks and if one of them is above average, the secondary looks a lot better. With so few picks, the Packers will have to sacrifice somewhere and in this mock draft, it’s at the defensive tackle position.
Rounds six and seven were all about the offense. Black is coming off a solid season on a national championship winning team. Gutekunst has long loved Georgia players so adding Morris as a depth piece makes a lot of sense. Herron is also a flyer in the seventh round who hopefully could become the next Rasheed Walker.
The Green Bay Packers have some major holes to fill but have proven they can find value on day 3 of the draft. Zach Tom, Evan Williams, and Carrington Valentine were all day three picks. Additionally, Javon Bullard, Sean Rhyan, and Edgerrin Cooper were all day two picks. While the absence of a first round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft hurts, the team has shown they can find quality players at any time. Can they nail the draft and finally make a deep postseason run?
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