Do’s and Don’ts for Packers Entering Day 2 of NFL Draft

The Green Bay Packers will finally join the party of the 2026 NFL Draft on Friday after sitting out Thursday night’s first round due to the trade for star defensive end Micah Parsons.

The first round broke relatively favorably for Green Bay. Only two cornerbacks were selected, albeit one of them being a fan favorite with San Diego State’s Chris Johnson going to the Miami Dolphins at Pick 27.

Ultimately, the first round went about as expected for Brian Gutekunst and his team. It was a quiet night.

Friday night should be vastly different with the Packers having two picks and the potential to move up to get a player they covet or back to acquire more picks.

For the moment, we are replacing Brian Gutekunst. Here are a few things I would do tonight, and a few items I would steer clear of.

Don’t: Move Up for Jermod McCoy

A popular suggestion among the fanbase and media landscape is for the Packers to be bold in their pursuit of a cornerback to join the trio of Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine and Benjamin St-Juste.

One player who would fit that description is Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy. McCoy entered his final season for the Volunteers looking like a near lock to be a first-round pick. Instead, he suffered a knee injury in January 2025 and missed the entire season. By the time training camp rolls around in late July, it will have been more than 500 days since McCoy has been on a football field.

Sometimes, those things are not relevant. Christian Watson, for example, was one of the best stories on the team last year as he recovered from an ACL injury in January to suit up in late October and emerge as Green Bay’s best receiver by the time the season ended.

Other times, an injury like this can turn into a David Bakhtiari situation. There are reports teams think McCoy could need another surgery for a different ailment in his knee.

The Packers need cornerback help, but that help needs to be on the field. McCoy is really talented, but can the Packers afford to risk drafting a player whose best days may be behind him?

Only they can truly answer that question, but without the opinions of a doctor handy, this is a player I would steer clear from.

Do: Draft a Cornerback

South Carolina Gamecocks cornerback Brandon Cisse (15) breaks up a pass intended for Clemson Tigers receiver Tristan Smith. | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Gutekunst can talk all he wants about taking the best player on his board regardless of whether the prospect fills an immediate need.

There’s some truth in that, but also some bologna mixed in.

The Packers are incredibly unlikely to take a quarterback even if he’s the best player on the board when they’re on the clock at Pick 52. Why? Because Jordan Love exists, and the Packers don’t need a quarterback.

The point I am driving at is the Packers do need help at cornerback. Their Super Bowl roster had Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams and Sam Shields lining up at corner for the start of the championship game against the Steelers.

Would any of the current players on the roster have a chance at beating out Shields for time on the field?

That feels unlikely.

No, Nixon is not as bad as some sections of the fanbase would have you believe. No, Valentine is not a bad player, either. Yes, St-Juste might help them.

It’s also true that a matchup of any of those guys in a big situation against Los Angeles’ Puka Nacua, Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Philadelphia’s Devonta Smith would be a considerable mismatch that is not in Green Bay’s favor.

The Packers need someone who can play cornerback and have the potential to start as soon as his rookie season. That’s a tough spot to put any rookie, but it’s an even tougher spot when asking someone taken in the seventh round, which is the only round the Packers have taken a cornerback since drafting Eric Stokes in the first round in 2021.

Whoever it is, find a cornerback, even if it means reaching a little bit earlier than you’d hope.

Don’t: Force Pick at Defensive Tackle

On the flip side, the Packers have another need at defensive tackle. The problem? There are not as many players who fit what they’ve traditionally valued at that position.

Lee Hunter and Dominique Orange profile as solid nose tackles to defend opposing run games.

There’s value in that. Is that value worth the 52nd overall pick? Is that value worth the highest pick the Packers have in this draft class?

With the ability to find some solid run defenders later in the draft, like the Packers did with TJ Slaton in 2021, it’s possible the Packers could wait until later in the draft to add someone at that position.

It’s also possible they could add someone more in the mold of Devonte Wyatt or Javon Hargrave as disruptive players rather than a true two-gapping run defender.

Regardless of what their preference is to add, don’t draft a defensive tackle simply to check a box. Let the board fall as it may and pounce when the timing is right.

Do: Try To Add To Pass Rush

Michigan defensive end Derrick Moore (8) forces Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne (15) to fumble. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cornerback seems like something that could be on the menu during the second or third round. Pass rush? That feels like something the Packers could be looking at in the second round, as well.

Clemson’s T.J. Parker is available but likely to be gone by the time the Packers pick at No. 52. Illinois’ Gabe Jacas, Penn State’s Dani Dennis-Sutton and Michigan’s Derrick Moore are players who could fall in that range between 52 and 84, where the Packers are scheduled to pick in the second and third rounds.

Their edge position looks OK on paper once Parsons returns from an injury, but once the season ends, things start to look a little dicey.

However, Lukas Van Ness might be entering a contract year, depending on what the team does with his fifth-year option next week, and Brenton Cox will be a free agent. Neither he nor last year’s draft picks, Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver, have done enough to inspire confidence. To start the season, Van Ness will start alongside one of those three players. In 2027, who knows who will start across from Parsons.

Is that good enough for a team to compete for a championship? Probably not.

Can a team ever have too many pass rushers? Absolutely not.

Don’t: Forget About Offensive Line

Gutekunst boldly proclaimed on Tuesday he liked the depth on his offensive line.

It’s true that his top six blockers should be relatively set in stone with Jordan Morgan taking over at left tackle and Darian Kinnard filling in as the super sub at four positions behind both tackles and guards.

It’s also true that Kinnard is probably the only backup that should give any semblance of confidence at this point. John Williams and Travis Glover spent last season on injured reserve. Jacob Monk has started one game in two seasons and is probably best if he can only play at center.

In the starting lineup, Anthony Belton was a second-round pick, but certainly should not just be handed a starting position thanks to draft pedigree. Adding competition for him would not hurt.

Furthermore, a swing tackle is a need on just about every team across the NFL, and the Packers are no exception. If Morgan gets injured or flames out, there are not any good solutions on the roster that immediately present themselves. Adding someone like Florida’s Austin Barber, Duke’s Brian Parker or Texas A&M’s Trey Zuhn III would be well worth the 84th pick in this year’s draft.

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