Packers Draft: No First-Round, High Upside Picks

0:00It's April 26th. This is NFL News today, AI-powered stories shaping the season. The Green Bay Packers just wrapped up the 2026 NFL Draft without a first-round pick, but they still loaded up on talent for the roster. General manager Brian Goudacunst played it smart, focusing on best players available while hitting key spots like cornerback and defensive tackle. They grabbed Brandon Sissy at 52 overall for the secondary, and traded up to Snag Chris McClellan at 77 for the D-line. Those positions had been ignored lately, with no early corner picks since Eric Stokes in 2021's first round and mostly late round, defensive tackles after Devonte Wyatt in 2022. Free agency helped short-term by signing Javon Hargrave and Benjamin St. Juiced, so these rookies build for the long haul beyond 2026, when contracts thin out. Critics and analysts are buzzing about the value Green Bay Snag as the board fell their way on Friday and Saturday. Sissy was ranked 45th on consensus boards, McClellan looked like a fourth-rounder, and

1:04they waited to the fourth round at 120. For Danny Dennis Sutton, who Goudacunst targeted earlier, deeper into the draft, they added Jager Burton in the fifth, and college scouting director Matt Malaspina called it a steal, saying he never expected. That guy to slide. Goudacunst even tried trading back into the third for Dennis Sutton, but grabbed him later anyway. Overall, the Packers turned a no-first round draft into a win by blending need with high upside picks, setting up their defense for years without. Breshing starters onto the field right away.