Green Bay Packers 2026 NFL Draft Needs, Picks & Depth Chart

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No matter how well they did in free agency, all 32 NFL teams head into the 2026 NFL Draft with holes to fill on the roster.

Leading into the draft, we will identify the top needs for every team and break down the depth chart position by position.

What are the Packers' top positions of need heading into the 2026 NFL draft?

Green Bay Packers Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2026

1. Edge Rusher
2. Cornerback
3. Offensive Line

Explore all of our 2026 NFL Draft content:

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Green Bay Packers 2026 Draft Capital

The Packers have the 30th-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.

Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.

Green Bay Packers Mock Draft Predictions

Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Packers to draft:

• Brendan Donahue's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
• Ryan McCrystal's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #20 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.

Green Bay Packers Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Green Bay Packers, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterback

1. Jordan Love
2. Desmond Ridder
3. Kyle McCord

Jordan Love produced another solid campaign in 2025.

Love finished sixth in quarterback rating (101.2), completing 66.3% of his passes (15th) for 7.7 yards per pass attempt (8th), 11.6 yards per completion (10th), a 5.2% touchdown rate (10th), and a 1.4% interception rate (6th).

He posted a career-high 47.3% success rate (7th) and was second in the league in EPA per dropback (0.22).

Love is one of four quarterbacks to have a 5% touchdown rate or higher in each of the past three seasons.

Those numbers last year came in a season filled with injuries across the entire offense, but especially the offensive line.

Love was pressured on a career-high 39.5% of his dropbacks.

Love is still in his apex (turning 28 in November) and is signed through 2028.

The Packers have two more palatable seasons with Love, counting against the books as a $36.1 million cap hit in 2026 (12% of the cap) and $42.5 million in 2027 (13.1%) before spiking to $74.2 million in 2028 (20.9%).

Love himself was part of those injuries on offense last year.

He missed two full games and left another in the first half.

This is the second year in a row that Love has missed multiple games.

With Malik Willis leaving during free agency, the backup situation is in a worse spot, with Desmond Ridder and Kyle McCord as the alternatives should Love miss any time in 2026.

Neither backup is signed for 2027.

Running Back

1. Josh Jacobs
2. Chris Brooks
3. MarShawn Lloyd
4. Pierre Strong
5. Damien Martinez

Josh Jacobs handled 270 touches for 1,211 total yards and 14 touchdowns last season.

That has raised his touchdown total to 30 over the past two seasons, fifth in the NFL.

Jacobs was also dealing with his own set of injuries and running behind a battered offensive line.

Jacobs dealt with a lingering knee issue that he suffered in Week 11 and was never quite the same to close the season.

He missed two games outright due to the injury, and he played 21.8%, 38.9%, and 27.7% of the snaps in three others.

Through nine games, Jacobs had 845 yards and 11 touchdowns.

He then posted 366 total yards and 3 touchdowns over the remainder of the season.

Emanuel Wilson produced 355 yards and 3 touchdowns over that same stretch.

As noted, the offensive line did not aid Jacobs.

He averaged 0.91 yards before contact per rush, which ranked 44th out of 49 running backs with 100 or more rushes on the year.

Wilson also was at 0.91 yards before contact per rush, and Jacobs averaged 3.06 yards after contact per run (23rd), suggesting that the lack of yardage gained on the ground was a byproduct of the state of the line.

Jacobs is 28 with two years remaining on his current contract.

With Wilson leaving during free agency, the Packers do not have a lot of experience behind Jacobs.

Chris Brooks has averaged 5.2 yards per touch through three seasons, but he has only had 106 career touches.

MarShawn Lloyd has been snakebitten over two NFL seasons, playing in only one game with 10 snaps since entering the league.

Both Brooks and Lloyd do have multiple seasons left on their current contracts.

Wide Receiver

1. Christian Watson
2. Matthew Golden
3. Jayden Reed
4. Skyy Moore
5. Bo Melton
6. Savion Williams
7. Isaiah Neyor
8. Will Sheppard
9. Jakobie Keeney-James

The Packers have thrown a lot at wide receiver in recent drafts, but they may have to keep that trend going due to what they have lost this offseason and their contractual situation.

Romeo Doubs left during free agency, and the team traded Dontayvion Wicks.

Christian Watson and Jayden Reed are both scheduled to be unrestricted free agents after this season.

Only Matthew Golden and Savion Williams are currently under contract for 2027.

Doubs was the only Green Bay wide receiver to run a route on 50% of the dropbacks last season (74.3%).

Watson started the season recovering from an ACL injury he suffered in 2024, but when he returned to the field, he was efficient.

Watson played in 10 games, catching 35 of 55 targets for 611 yards and 6 touchdowns.

While active from Week 8 through Week 17, Watson was seventh among all wide receivers with 2.54 yards per route run.

That was the third season of his rookie contract in which Watson was over 2.0 yards per route run.

Since entering the league, Watson has averaged 2.15 yards per route run (WR15).

The rub has been keeping him on the field.

Watson has missed multiple games every year in the league.

A fractured collarbone in Week 2 derailed Reed’s 2025.

That injury limited him to seven games, catching 19 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown.

When Reed returned in Week 14, he was on the field for 68.1% of the dropbacks.

Another effective player on the field, Reed has been a bit roadblocked by his limited involvement in heavier sets on a run-first team.

Through three NFL seasons, Reed has run a pass route on only 8 plays in one or two receiver sets.

Selected in the first round last season (23rd overall), Golden did not have the rookie season many were looking for, especially when accounting for all of the missed time among this pass-catching unit.

Golden closed his rookie season catching 29 of 44 targets for 361 yards and 0 touchdowns, rushing 10 times for 49 yards.

He was forced to play a lot to open the season with injuries to Watson and Reed.

Golden ran a route on 68.2% of the dropbacks through nine weeks (2nd among the wide receivers), but only managed 23 catches for 262 yards.

He averaged 1.40 yards per route run with a target on only 15.5% of his routes over that stretch despite the early opening to establish himself in the offense.

He also picked up a shoulder injury in Week 10 that limited him to the end of the year, paired with the return of several receivers to the lineup.

From Week 10 on, Golden only played 28.1% of the passing snaps, catching 6 passes for 99 yards.

Although his rookie season was underwhelming, Golden did catch 4 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown in the playoff loss to the Bears to provide something to build on heading into 2026.

As a rookie, Golden did play 72 snaps in one or two WR sets, so he has a leg up on taking on more work with the moving parts this wide receiver unit has had this offseason.

The Packers selected Williams in the third round last year (87th overall), who could also have a larger role in his second season.

As a prospect, Williams was an incomplete player, offering more rushing appeal than as a receiver.

That played out in his rookie season.

Williams had more rushing attempts (11) than receptions (10) and was only used sparingly as a manufactured touch option.

Williams averaged 1.7 air yards per target on his limited sample.

Tight End

1. Tucker Kraft
2. Luke Musgrave
3. Josh Whyle
4. Drake Dabney
5. McCallan Castles
6. Messiah Swinson

Tucker Kraft was on his way to a massive breakout season last year before an ACL injury cut his season short in Week 9.

Before his injury, Kraft was third among tight ends with 469 receiving yards and second in touchdowns (6).

He was averaging a league-high 15.6 yards per catch among tight ends with the most yards after the catch (336).

Since entering the league, Kraft has averaged a position-high 9.1 yards after the catch per reception.

With Kraft on the field last year, the Packers averaged 6.0 yards per play with a 47.2% success rate.

With him off the field, they averaged 5.3 yards per play with a 42.3% success rate.

That was the difference between being third in the NFL in yards per play and second in success rate and ranking in the middle of the league in both departments without him on the field (league average last year was 5.3 yards per play and a 41.8% success rate).

Kraft will be right around 10 months in his recovery at the start of the season.

He is also up for a new contract after this season, in the final year of his rookie deal.

No tight end on the roster is signed for 2027.

Without Kraft, this tight end room did not pick up any slack.

From Week 10 on, Green Bay tight ends combined for 28 receptions, 251 yards, and 1 touchdown.

Luke Musgrave caught 15 passes for 164 yards over that period.

Musgrave has 65 catches and 1 touchdown through three NFL seasons.

Offensive Line

LT: Jordan Morgan, Darian Kinnard, Brant Banks
LG: Aaron Banks, Donovan Jennings, Dalton Cooper
C: Sean Rhyan, Jacob Monk
RG: Anthony Belton, John Williams, Karsen Barnhart
RT: Zach Tom, Travis Glover

This offensive line was decimated in 2025.

The starting offensive line was on the field together for only 17.6% of the offensive snaps last season, 30th in the league.

The only lineman to play in all 17 games was Rasheed Walker, who left the team in free agency.

Zach Tom (12 games), Elgton Jenkins (9 games), and Aaron Banks (15 games) all missed multiple games, with Tom’s injury having the largest impact.

With Tom on the field this season, Love was pressured on 37.3% of his dropbacks compared to a 44% pressure rate with Tom off the field.

With Tom on the field, Love had a 1% interception rate and a 3.2% sack rate.

With Tom off the field, Love has a 2.1% interception rate and a 7.2% sack rate.

On 140 attempts with Tom on the field, Jacobs averaged 4.2 YPC with a run of 10 or more yards on 11.4% of those attempts.

With Tom off the field, Jacobs averaged 3.6 YPC with a run of 10 or more yards on 7.4% of those runs.

Even with a healthy Tom back (who is signed through 2029), the Packers have some work to do here.

Walker and Jenkins are no longer on the roster.

Jordan Morgan is expected to move to left tackle.

Selected in the first round in 2024 (25th overall), Morgan played snaps at left tackle (51), left guard (191), right guard (358), and right tackle (219) last season.

He largely held up in pass protection (allowing a 5.3% pressure rate) but struggled as a run blocker.

Sean Rhyan played 524 snaps at center last year and was one of the worst interior pass protectors in the league.

Rhyan allowed a 5.7% pressure rate, which ranked 41st out of 45 centers to play 100 or more snaps last season.

He only played roughly half the season and allowed the fifth-most pressures at the position.

Anthony Belton was a second-round pick last year (54th overall), and he was thrown into the fire as a rookie.

Belton played 463 snaps at right guard, allowing a team-high 9.5% pressure rate, which ranked 93rd out of 96 guards to play 100-plus snaps.

To compound the injuries and young players forced into the lineup, Banks struggled.

Banks was 61st among guards in total grade per Pro Football Focus last year, allowing a 6% pressure rate (69th) with a run grade that ranked 60th.

Green Bay Packers Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Green Bay Packers, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Defensive Line

1. Devonte Wyatt
2. Javon Hargrave
3. Karl Brooks
4. Warren Brinson
5. Nazir Stackhouse
6. Jordon Riley
7. Jonathan Ford
8. Jaden Crumedy
9. James Ester
10. Dante Arnett
11. Anthony Campbell

Green Bay ranked 11th in yards per carry allowed to running backs (4.1) last season and fifth in explosive run rate allowed on those carries.

The Packers were forced into a coordinator change this offseason, replacing now Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley with former Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon.

Gannon should bring more of a 3-4 base look to Green Bay’s defense, which the Cardinals used at the highest rate in the league last year.

That was still only 37% of their defensive plays, but it will require an adjustment for the roster.

Green Bay looks good atop the defensive line depth chart with Devonte Wyatt returning from injury and Javon Hargrave joining in free agency.

Wyatt did not have his best season as a pass rusher last year even before going down with injury, but he has an excellent (for an interior lineman) 12.8% career pressure rate.

Hargrave was a rock against the run for the Vikings last season, and he has consistently gotten after the quarterback in his long career.

The questions start behind those two.

Karl Brooks has played a lot of snaps since being drafted in the sixth round back in 2023, but they have not been particularly impactful.

Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse got some chances as rookies and could continue to develop, but they did not look like building blocks last year.

Adding to this group, especially a nose tackle if they do not see Hargrave in that role, makes sense, especially with Wyatt in the final year of his rookie deal.

Edge Defenders

1. Micah Parsons
2. Lukas Van Ness
3. Barryn Sorrell
4. Collin Oliver
5. Brenton Cox Jr.
6. Aaron Mosby

The Packers ranked ninth in pressure rate (39.4%) last season but just 20th with 36 sacks.

Micah Parsons was having a great first season with the Packers (19.4% pressure rate) before suffering a torn ACL in Week 15.

The timing of that injury means Parsons will almost certainly miss the start of the season and might not be at full strength until late in the year.

Even if Parsons was fully healthy, the Packers would be looking to add to this group after trading Rashan Gary and losing Kingsley Enagbare in free agency.

Lukas Van Ness was limited to just nine games last season, and he was just a rotational player when active.

As things stand, he will need to take on a much bigger role in 2026.

A fourth-round pick last year, Barryn Sorrell did get some playing time last year, but he only posted a 6.2% pressure rate on a limited sample.

A fifth-round pick last year, Collin Oliver appeared in just one game.

Brenton Cox has played 15 games in three seasons.

The Packers do not have enough on the edge even if Parsons was healthy, and they will need multiple additions if his recovery lingers into the season, which seems likely.

Linebacker

1. Edgerrin Cooper
2. Zaire Franklin
3. Isaiah McDuffie
4. Ty’Ron Hopper
5. Nick Niemann
6. Kristian Welch
7. Jamon Johnson

Green Bay lost Quay Walker in free agency, but they traded for Zaire Franklin to help fill that gap.

Franklin was 11th among linebackers in run stuffs last season, but he did not show well in coverage, allowing a 111.5 quarterback rating.

Franklin should start next to Edgerrin Cooper, who was second on the defense in snaps last season.

Cooper allowed just 4.8 yards per target in coverage as a sophomore.

Isaiah McDuffie is experienced, quality depth, and the Packers also have 2024 third-round pick Ty'Ron Hopper waiting in the wings.

This is a strong linebacker group.

Cornerback

1. Keisean Nixon
2. Carrington Valentine
3. Benjamin St-Juste
4. Kamal Hadden
5. Jaylin Simpson
6. Shemar Bartholomew
7. Tyron Herring

The Packers allowed just 6.4 yards per attempt (6th) last season, but they finished 24th in EPA allowed per pass.

Keisean Nixon took a step back last season despite making his first Pro Bowl, allowing 6 touchdowns and a 105.1 quarterback rating in his coverage.

Carrington Valentine had a tougher go, giving up 7 touchdowns and a 121.2 quarterback rating.

Green Bay added Benjamin St-Juste in free agency, and he did have some success in a limited role with the Chargers last year.

Nixon and St-Juste do have some experience in the slot, but Javon Bullard (listed below with the safeties) showed well in that role last season and will likely keep it moving forward.

Nixon is fine is one of the starting spots, but the Packers have to at least add competition to this group.

Preferably, they would add a starting-quality talent to take on the No. 2 role.

Safety

1. Xavier McKinney
2. Evan Williams
3. Javon Bullard
4. Kitan Oladapo
5. Johnathan Baldwin
6. Mark Perry

Unlike at cornerback, the Packers have no issues at safety.

While he did not match the 8 interceptions of his first season in Green Bay, Xavier McKinney has lived up to the bill as an impact free agent addition.

Evan Williams took a step forward as a sophomore, finishing ninth among defensive backs in run stuffs.

As mentioned above, Javon Bullard took over the slot corner role last season to good success, and it is likely the new defensive coaching staff keeps him there.

With the top three options all signed through 2027, there are no immediate concerns at safety.

2026 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams