If the Packers Trade Up in the 2026 NFL Draft It Will Be for This Position

The Green Bay Packers do not have a first round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. In fact, they will not be picking until the 52^nd overall selection in the latter half of round two. There has been much speculation about whether Packers GM Brian Gutekunst will use the 52^nd overall pick, trade up to try to find a particular player, or trade back to add additional picks. One thing became clear from Gutekunst’s pre-draft press conference earlier this week: if the Packers trade up in the 2026 NFL Draft, it will be for a player at this position.

If the Packers Trade Up in the 2026 NFL Draft It Will Be for This Position: What Gute Said

Gutekunst addressed the media earlier this week to discuss the upcoming draft. He was asked about the cornerback position, which many scouts believe is one of the team’s biggest needs.

“We’re going to add numbers there,” Gutekunst admitted, acknowledging the team’s need at the position. “That’s probably our group, from a numbers perspective that as we sit here today, we’re going to need to add the most numbers. So, we’ll see how that goes.”

Gutekunst also admitted he hadn’t ruled out trading up, although they may not specifically mean trading into the first round of the draft. He discussed the compensatory picks the team will receive next year. While those picks cannot be traded, they can allow the Packers the freedom to trade other picks knowing they still have plenty of other selections to make.

“The compensatory formula, we won’t know exactly what we have for next year, but we feel pretty good about the amount of picks we’re going to have,” Gutekunst added. “Whether it’s in this year’s draft, next year’s, the ability to move around to acquire the type of players we want to acquire, you have to have those picks to do that.”

The Cornerback Position

The Packers present cornerback position lacks both elite talent and depth. The Packers have two returning starters in Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine. Nixon served as the team’s top cover corner last season but lacked the consistency to truly be considered a legitimate CB1. His talent level and play make him a solid second cornerback.

Valentine has started 30 games in total over the last three seasons including 11 games in 2025. He’s come a long way since being selected in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Kentucky alum will be back to fight for a starting job in 2026.

As of now, his biggest competition will come from Benjamin St-Juste. The Packers signed St-Juste as a free agent earlier this offseason. The 28-year-old Minesota alum started for three seasons with Washington and became a key depth piece last year for the Los Angeles Chargers.

However, the Packers lack experienced depth at the cornerback position. They also have a long-term need at the position since St-Juste is the only one of the three top corners who remains under contract in 2027.

If the Packers Trade Up in the 2026 NFL Draft It Will Be for This Position: The Draft

The Packers enter the draft needing both top end talent at the cornerback position and to add a player who can take over the starting job as soon as 2027.

In order to find a cornerback who can become a legitimate top cover corner, NFL teams typically need to make a selection in the first round or earlier in the second round than where the Packers now sit at 52. In addition, there are only a handful of players who have this potential and fit the Packers traits for size, athleticism and injury history.

Obviously, the decision will depend on how Gutekunst’s draft board unfolds on Thursday and Friday. But if the Packers are going to trade up for a player, they will likely do it to grab a cornerback who can address the team’s biggest need. Since it is difficult to find a top cover corner after the first half of the second round, this would be the most likely position the Packers would address if they decided to trade up in the 2026 NFL Draft.