{"id":269149,"date":"2026-03-14T10:31:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T14:31:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=269149"},"modified":"2026-03-15T11:47:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T15:47:44","slug":"green-bay-packers-needs-2026-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/03\/14\/green-bay-packers-needs-2026-nfl-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Green Bay Packers Needs to Solve in the 2026 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Green Bay Packers do not have a first round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. This, of course, is because they sent their first round pick (as well as next year\u2019s) to the Dallas Cowboys as part of the trade that brought Micah Parsons to Green Bay<\/a>. However, they still currently have seven selections.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Packers were awarded an extra seventh-round pick by the NFL for their net loss in 2025 NFL free agency, something noted by bettors at<\/span> top betting apps<\/span><\/a>. Currently, major sportsbooks have the Packers between +1500 and +2000 to win the 2027 Super Bowl. FanDuel currently lists them at +1700. We anticipate that number will be pretty steady for the foreseeable future, marking some skepticism in the betting market.<\/span><\/p>\n

5 Needs for the Packers to Solve in the Draft<\/span><\/h2>\n

Fortunately for Green Bay, this is a deep draft when it comes to the positions that they need to address the most.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cornerback<\/b><\/h3>\n

While the Packers signed Benjamin St-Juste in NFL free agency<\/a>, they still need to improve their cornerback room<\/a>. On top of their needs for 2026, though, Green Bay needs to look ahead to 2027 when both Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine will hit free agency.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a deep cornerback draft and the Packers can take multiple corners at any point on Day Two or early on Day Three that can have a relatively immediate impact.<\/span><\/p>\n

Defensive tackle<\/b><\/h3>\n

Javon Hargrave, a two-time Pro Bowler<\/a>, was signed in free agency, but Green Bay still needs to add depth on the defensive line. Colby Wooden was traded for linebacker Zaire Franklin, and Devonte Wyatt is playing on his fifth-year option.\u00a0<\/span>While Wyatt is expected to be extended, the fact remains that the Packers lack a true run-stuffing tackle in the middle of the defensive line.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This position is not necessarily as deep in the 2026 NFL Draft at cornerback, so it will be no surprise if Green Bay targets it early. It also means it’s incredibly important to avoid a Packers Draft bust<\/a> given the limited high-end talent available.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Interior offensive line<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Packers signed Sean Rhyan to a three-year contract extension to be their starting center. However, they also released two-time Pro Bowl selection Elgton Jenkins. Anthony Belton <\/span>could <\/span><\/i>play right guard, but he will have to win the job in training camp.<\/span><\/p>\n

All this being said, Green Bay lacks quality depth at the center and guard positions. Like cornerback, there are many in this draft that could be immediate impact players and that could be found on Day Two or Day Three.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tight end<\/b><\/h3>\n

Tucker Kraft will return from a torn ACL<\/a> this year, and the hope is that he will be cleared by the time training camp starts. That being said, there is no telling how well he will play following the injury. The hope, of course, is that he returns to form, as he was on a Pro Bowl trajectory before he got hurt.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if he does, though, the Packers need good tight-end depth. Luke Musgrave has not lived up to the hype as a former second round pick and is entering the final year of his rookie deal. Like cornerback and defensive tackle, Green Bay needs to target this position not only for 2026, but also to get a head start on 2027.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Running Back<\/b><\/h3>\n

Josh Jacobs is a Pro Bowler and is coming back in 2026. He is also under contract for 2027. However, the Packers did not tender Emanuel Wilson, their backup the last two years, and he signed with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chris Brooks was brought back, but he is their third-string back and a special teams ace. If he is in games as the backup running back, something has gone horribly wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marshawn Lloyd has played one NFL game since he was drafted in 2024, and he played zero in 2025. Undoubtedly, the Packers would love for him to emerge as the backup to Jacobs, but they cannot trust that he will stay healthy.<\/span><\/p>\n

As such, it will not be a surprise to see the Packers use a Day-Three pick on a running back, one they hope will actually be able to stay on the field.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Green Bay Packers do not have a first round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. This, of course, is because they sent their first round pick (as well as next year\u2019s) to the Dallas Cowboys as part of the trade that brought Micah Parsons to Green Bay. However, they still currently have seven selections. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5799,"featured_media":268596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6431,25,1647,36],"tags":[33533],"class_list":["post-269149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-teams","category-packers","category-nfl-draft","category-nfl-news","tag-2026-nfl-draft"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5799"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=269149"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":269333,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269149\/revisions\/269333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}