All things considered, the draft board held up quite well for the Green Bay Packers through the first 32 picks of the 2026 NFL draft. The general consensus is that defensive tackle and cornerback are the two biggest roster needs for the Packers in this draft, and general manager Brian Gutekunst probably likes the way his board looks at both positions entering Day 2.
At defensive tackle, only two players were picked in the first round: Florida’s Caleb Banks at No. 18 and Clemson’s Peter Woods at No. 29. At cornerback, only two players were picked: LSU’s Mansoor Delane at No. 6 and San Diego State’s Chris Johnson at No. 27.
The run on corners never happened. And while the Minnesota Vikings made one of the biggest “reaches” of the first round on a defensive lineman (Banks was the No. 44 player on the consensus big board), Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald fell out of the top 32 completely.
Given the way the board looks at the two positions, it’s certainly possible the Packers could pick some combination of defensive tackle and cornerback on Day 2.
Defensive tackles available
McDonald is probably likely to go early on Friday night. Miller, Hunter and Orange could all fill a big hole in the middle of the defensive line, and the Packers hosted Miller and Hunter on pre-draft visits and were in attendance for Orange’s workout late in the draft process. Proctor was another pre-draft visitor.
Cornerbacks available
McCoy fell out of the first round due to concerns over his knee. He tore his ACL in January and missed the 2025 season. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network recently reported teams are concerned about a “bone plug” used to correct an issue in his knee and may need another surgery. Would the Packers be willing to risk it on a player who is clearly a first-round talent?
Not all the corners still available will fit what the Packers want — Ponds is too short, and several others are likely slot only corners. And it’s possible the board won’t fall right during the second round and an ideal fit at corner won’t be there at 52. How far would a player like Hood, Terrell or Cisse have to fall for the Packers to consider moving up? Of the players on the list above, only Lee visited Green Bay pre-draft.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Board holds strong for Packers at CB and DL entering Day 2 of 2026 draft
Reporting by Zach Kruse, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
