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NFL Draft Preview: Defensive Tackle In Every Round to Fix Big Packers Need

Iowa State Cyclones defensive lineman Domonique Orange (95) celebrates after a play against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

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NFL Draft Preview: Defensive Tackle In Every Round to Fix Big Packers Need

Originally posted on Green Bay Packers on SI
By Bill Huber | Last updated Apr 20, 2026 2:57 PM ET

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The Green Bay Packers have a big need at defensive tackle that must be addressed in this week’s NFL Draft. While they signed Javon Hargrave after trading Colby Wooden, it’s not a perfect player-for-player replacement.

The Packers need to strengthen their run defense. Rather than going through the entire list of prospects, here’s one good fit in each round.

Second Round: Lee Hunter, Texas Tech

Height and weight: 6-foot-3 1/2, 318 pounds. 40: 5.18. Arms: 33 1/4. RAS: 4.12.

Lee Hunter – aka “The Fridge” – had a “30” visit with the Packers.

Christen Miller of Georgia and Caleb Banks of Florida could be options here, as well, but both have unsettling injury histories. Lee Hunter, on the other hand, played in 52 games the last four seasons. He’s as sturdy as a rock and was a rock in the middle of the powerhouse Red Raiders’ defense, too, with three sacks and 11 tackles for losses in 2025.

He led the draft class by a wide margin in PFF's run-stop percentage.

He might never be a great pass rusher, but he at least has the brute force to push the pocket, which is a handy asset with Micah Parsons screaming off the edge.

“If an offensive lineman gets in front of me, I know I’m going to beat you,” Hunter said at the Scouting Combine. “That’s just how I practice. That’s how I prepare myself throughout the week, Sunday through Friday. On Saturday, I take it (to the field).”

Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Third Round: Domonique Orange, Iowa State

Height and weight: 6-foot-2 3/8, 322 pounds. 40: DNP. Arms: 33 3/8. RAS: 7.84.

Domonique Orange should be an option at No. 52 but probably won’t last until No. 84. If the Packers look elsewhere with their first draft pick, Orange could be worth trading up for in the third round. Green Bay doesn’t have a lot of draft capital in this draft but it has plenty of picks in 2027 that it can use as ammo.

The aptly named “Big Citrus” started all 12 games in 2025. He had zero sacks and just a half-tackle for loss; the lack of playmaking ability presumably will push him down some boards. However, he played in 50 games in four seasons, so has plenty of durability to go with the prodigious size.

“One day, I had a meeting with my nutritionist, and she called me ‘Big Citrus,’” Orange told The Des Moines Register. “I was like, ‘Where you get that from?’ She said she saw it on social media, so from that point on, for whatever reason, ‘Big Citrus’ has been a thing. At first, I didn't like it, but now I'm rolling with it. I like ‘Big Citrus.’”

Fourth Round: Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State

Height and weight: 6-foot-5 1/2, 315 pounds. 40: DNP. Arms: 35 1/4. RAS: None.

Darrell Jackson is a towering mountain of a man. At 6-foot-5 1/2, it’s possible the Packers will deem him too tall for nose-tackle duty. However, his 35 1/4-inch arms and 11-inch hands are major weapons in keeping blockers at bay.

Jackson started every game in 2022, 2024 and 2025 (he played in only one game in 2023 as a transfer), so he is a durable defender. He had only one sack and three tackles for losses in 2025, down from 3.5 sacks and four TFLs in 2024. His brute force will be hard to handle one-on-one.

He played at 335 pounds for the season, he said, but slimmed down for pro day.

“I've got traits to be an All-Pro. (I'm going to) Just continue to develop as a football player,” he said at pro day.