Every Packers Rookie Who Made Initial 53 (And What Role Will Be in Week 1)

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers’ small draft class could have a big impact on the fate of this season.

The Packers drafted six players, with five making the initial 53-man roster that emerged from Sunday’s cutdown. Plus, receiver J. Michael Sturdivant made the roster as an undrafted rookie.

That’s six rookies on the roster. Here’s how we’d rank them based on the level of expected contributions this season, with the list including one practice squad player who could get early snaps.

No. 7: Edge Nyjalik Kelly (Undrafted)

Nyjalik Kelly did not make the roster, and the Packers were fortunate to get him back on the practice squad after he capped a productive training camp with a big-time game against Arizona.

The Packers have only four edge players on their opening roster. Until Micah Parsons (and Collin Oliver) are back, Kelly could find himself getting some early action.

No. 6: WR J. Michael Sturdivant (Undrafted)

J. Michael Sturdivant was the one undrafted free agent to make the 53. If he’s still on the roster for the opener at Minnesota, he will have extended the streak to 22 consecutive years in which at least one undrafted rookie made the Week 1 roster.

While it’s easy to see why he made the roster – big, athletic and productive are good starting points – it’s hard to envision much of an early role. Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden will command the lion’s share of the snaps, and the addition of tight end Jonnu Smith will impact playing time at receiver, as well.

However, with continued growth, he could eat into the playing time of Bo Melton, Skyy Moore and maybe even Savion Williams.

No. 5: DT Chris McClellan (Third Round)

Cardinals quarterback Kedon Slovis throws a pass under pressure from Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Chris McClellan (55). | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Coming out of the offseason practices, it appeared Chris McClellan was in line to be the starting nose tackle. That didn’t happen, due in part to the perhaps unexpected rise of Jonathan Ford. Based on the preseason and practice field, the No. 1 defensive line in the base defense for the opener at the Vikings might be Devonte Wyatt, Ford and Karl Brooks.

Rookie defensive tackles can struggle to gain an early role. Even future three-time Pro Bowler Kenny Clark as a first-round pick in 2016 started only two games and averaged about 20 snaps as a rookie. For now, McClellan will be fighting for snaps in a seven-strong group that includes veteran Javon Hargrave, rising Warren Brinson and surprising Anthony Campbell.

In time, though, McClellan is going to be a factor. Pad-level issues popped up from time to time, but he made a bunch of impact plays, as well, against the pass and the run. He led the team in preseason run stops, a PFF metric that counts solo tackles that “win” the play for the defense (a first-and-10 tackle that limits the play to 3 or fewer yards is win, for instance). In fact, among all interior defensive linemen who played at least 20 snaps against the run, McClellan was tied for the NFL lead in run-stop percentage

No. 4: G/C Jager Burton (Fifth Round)

Jager Burton will enter the season as the backup center and perhaps the top backup at both guard positions, as well, though Donovan Jennings will have something to say about that.

Burton might not get on the field for Week 1. Or Week 2. But, based on the attrition rate on the offensive line, common sense suggests he’s going to start games and play critical snaps this season.

No. 3: Edge Dani Dennis-Sutton (Fourth Round)

The Packers kept only four edge players on the roster. It’s fairly simple to see how the Packers handled the offseason and training camp will roll right into the regular season. That means Lukas Van Ness and Barryn Sorrell will be the No. 1 pairing and be replaced by the No. 2 duo of Brenton Cox and Dennis-Sutton.

Yes, it came against backups, but after being sidelined for the first two preseason games, Dennis-Sutton was one of the best players on the field for Friday’s finale against Arizona.

With the lack of proven pass-rushing production on the edge until Micah Parsons returns, it’s probably fair to say that Dennis-Sutton’s role will be limited only by his production.

No. 2: K Trey Smack (Sixth Round)

Green Bay Packers place kicker Trey Smack kicks off during the first quarter of their preseason game against the Cardinals. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

A kicker might only play a dozen snaps per game, but they obviously are hugely important. If not for three bad plays by Brandon McManus in the playoffs, the Packers might have beaten the Bears.

Smack made all 16 kicks in the preseason – 9-of-9 on field goals (not including the nullified bomb at Pittsburgh) and 7-of-7 on extra points. In fact, Smack had the most makes without a miss among preseason kickers.

Will Smack continue that into the regular season or will it be a rookie rollercoaster? The answer to that question doesn’t change his importance.

No. 1: CB Brandon Cisse (Second Round)

The Packers don’t have a “CB1.” This isn’t Madden. Based on training camp and the games, Brandon Cisse is going to play right cornerback and Keisean Nixon is going to play left cornerback. Period, end of conversation.

Regardless of where he lines up, the Packers’ impressive rookie cornerback is going to face challenging matchups. In Week 1, if he’s not facing Justin Jefferson, he’s going to match up against Jordan Addison or Jauan Jennings. The Jets in Week 2 have Garrett Wilson. The Falcons in Week 3 have Drake London. The Buccaneers in Week 4 have Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin. The Bears in Week 5 have Rome Odunze and Luther Burden. The Cowboys in Week 6 have CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.

And on and on and on it goes.

Cisse had a strong training camp and preseason. He has shown talent and maturity. He’ll need his complete toolbox to survive playing 60-something snaps per game for 17 games.

“I think there's always that one day at a time,” he said after the joint practice last week. “You’re never ready enough, so I'm always going to work really hard at that every single day of attacking the things I am doing wrong that I need to be better at because I am going to strive for perfection.

“Obviously, I haven't played in this league yet, so I don't know what it takes yet, so I need to continue to grow and be overprepared if I can, so just trying to be ready for those moments when it comes and just be excited, go out there and make plays.”

The Packers have a 53-man roster. Here are the winners and losers from a wheeling-and-dealing Cutdown Sunday. ⬇️https://t.co/AA4fGrVXmc
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 31, 2026

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