The 2026 NFL draft is here for the Green Bay Packers and the 31 other NFL teams. The 91st annual selection event will feature 257 picks over seven rounds and three days, beginning with the first round on Thursday night. The Packers are going into the 2026 draft with eight total draft picks, including six on Day 3.
Here’s everything to know entering Thursday night:
When does the first round start?
The 2026 NFL draft opens at 7:00 p.m. CT on Thursday night. The Las Vegas Raiders hold the No. 1 overall pick and are widely expected to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza to kick off the draft. The NFL adjusted the time limit between picks to eight minutes, so the first round should move swiftly. But don’t expect the Packers to get involved in the festivities on Day 1. Television coverage will be provided by ESPN, NFL Network and ABC.
Do the Packers have a first-round pick on Thursday night?
No. The Packers traded the pick — which became the No. 20 overall pick — to the Dallas Cowboys to get All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, who produced a team-high 12.5 sacks in 2025 and was leading the NFL in pressures when he went down with an ACL injury in early December of last year. Despite missing the last month of the season, Parsons was still a first-team All-Pro in 2025. The Packers won’t have a first-round pick in 2026 or 2027. This year will be the first draft that the Packers don’t have a first-round pick since Brian Gutekunst took over as GM in 2018.
Could the Packers trade into the first round?
Possibly, but it’s very unlikely. The Packers don’t have a pick until No. 52 overall in the second round, and moving up even 20 spots would be extremely costly. Using the Rich Hill trade value chart, the Packers’ pick at No. 52 overall is worth 109 points, while the 32nd overall pick in the 2026 draft is worth 184 points. Making up that 75-point difference would be difficult — consider the No. 84 pick in the third round is worth only 51 points. To move up into the first round, the Packers would have to sacrifice valuable draft capital in both 2026 and 2027. Moving up slightly in the second round is more likely.
How important is the first round?
The Packers have seven past first-round picks on their roster: Jordan Love, Micah Parsons, Josh Jacobs, Devonte Wyatt, Lukas Van Ness, Jordan Morgan and Matthew Golden. These are foundational players and the lifeblood of Matt LaFleur’s team entering 2026. Of Brian Gutekunst’s 10 first-round picks made since 2018, five remain. Quay Walker (2022) departed in free agency and Rashan Gary (2019) was traded away this offseason.
What’s the first-round draft order?
What picks do the Packers have in 2026?
The Packers have eight picks entering the draft. While the Packers don’t have a first-round pick, an additional fifth-round pick was acquired after trading Dontayvion Wicks to the Eagles, and the Packers got an additional seventh-round pick via the compensatory pick process.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers 2026 draft: Everything to know entering first round on Thursday night
Reporting by Zach Kruse, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
