How Do Day 3 Draft Picks Like Dani Dennis-Sutton, Trey Smack Fit Packers?

GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers took care of their two biggest needs during the second day of the 2026 NFL Draft by selecting South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse and defensive tackle Chris McClellan with their first two picks.

As Day 3 came into focus, Brian Gutekunst was armed with five picks to move around the board. With his first pick of the day, No. 120 of the fourth round, he simply sat and had Penn State edge defender Dani Dennis-Sutton fall into his lap.

Fourth Round: How Does Dani Dennis-Sutton Fit?

Last year, Gutekunst struck gold by trading two first-round picks for another former Penn State pass rusher, Micah Parsons. Now, Dennis-Sutton can learn from one of the best. From a size-speed perspective, he is an elite talent.

Dani Dennis-Sutton is a DE prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 9.96 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 9 out of 2105 DE from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/uLxgNBAJHQ pic.twitter.com/pLozoMwmif
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) March 22, 2026

Disruption is production in the NFL, and Dennis-Sutton was Penn State’s most disruptive player in 2025 with 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and 12 tackles for losses. To add further to his value, he blocked three punts in 2025.

“It's an interesting fact that that happened,” Packers director of personnel John Wojciechowski said. “Of course, we graded him on being a defender first, and that just happened to be there. But, yes, it’s very intriguing, especially in this day and age, a lot more field goals seem to be getting blocked. So, he can help out there.”

That came on the heels of posting 8.5 sacks, 13 tackles for losses and two forced fumbles to put himself on the map in 2024.

On the surface, the Packers are in good shape on the edge. When Micah Parsons returns from his ACL rehab, he’ll join the team as a starter across from Lukas Van Ness.

Beyond that? There are plenty of questions that need to be answered.

Is Van Ness going to get a long-term contract in Green Bay? Is he even going to get his fifth-year option exercised? After showing some potential during the second half of the 2024 season, Brenton Cox missed most of last season due to injury and will be entering his final season under contract. Are last year’s Day 3 picks, Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver, anything more than mid-round fodder who could flame out of the league within three years?

Instead of just hoping that one of those players emerges, Gutekunst acted by adding Dennis-Sutton to his pass-rush room.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler noted Dennis-Sutton’s quickness, power and “aggressive” hands. Aggression is something the Packers are going to be chasing this season from their defense if they’re taking any advice from Dennis-Sutton’s fellow Penn State alumnus.

“Be ready to do more than your job requires,” Parsons said at the team’s locker room cleanout.

We are in a new era of college football in which draft prospects frequently opt out of playing in games that are outside of the College Football Playoff.

Dennis-Sutton came back to Penn State for the 2025 season in an effort to chase a national championship, but the Nittany Lions ultimately fell well short of expectations. Dennis-Sutton had done his job, though. He was productive for his team and did what he could to put them in position to win games they ultimately were unable to accomplish.

With the season not meeting expectations, he could have joined the trend in opting out of Penn State’s bowl game. Instead, he chose to play, saying he loved football and could not possibly understand not playing.

“That’s what you’re looking for. Whether it be present day or in the past, those are the guys that usually progress and get themselves better, that’s a key factor in all these positions and players,” Wojciechowski said.

The Packers have noted in the modern era of college football they’re looking for guys who need football versus guys who want what the game can bring to them. Dennis-Sutton looks to be a guy who needs the game.

“I live and breathe football,” he said during his Zoom call with reporters. “It’s something I’ve done since I was a little boy. I’m just excited now to do it for the Green Bay Packers.”

Fifth Round: How Does Jager Burton Fit?

Kentucky Wildcats offensive lineman Jager Burton (62) celebrates after a touchdown against Florida. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Kentucky’s Jager Burton is an interior offensive lineman who was “built to play center,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in his scouting report, and that’s where he found his home as a fifth-year center.

As a fifth-round pick, there is a path to him finding his way onto the field early in his career.

Sean Rhyan is the team’s starting center after receiving a three-year contract extension just before the start of free agency. Rhyan has only played eight games at center, taking over the job at midseason after Elgton Jenkins sustained a broken leg.

Rhyan played well enough in that cameo to earn a contract extension, but his history in Green Bay suggests the Packers will not hesitate to put another player in a competitive situation with him. Even last year, it looked like Rhyan was going to be on his way out of Green Bay after he was benched in favor of Anthony Belton at right guard before Thanksgiving.

Assuming the Packers give Rhyan some runway to start at center, Burton’s primary competition is Jacob Monk, a fifth-round pick in 2024 who got his first real playing time when he started the meaningless Week 18 game at Minnesota.

Brian Gutekunst was complimentary of Monk prior to the beginning of the NFL Draft, but he certainly is not guaranteed a roster spot.

Versatility, of course, is the name of the game in Green Bay. Burton’s 47 starts at Kentucky include 23 at left guard, nine at right guard and 15 at center.

Burton will get a chance to compete for a spot on the interior of the offensive line by cross -training next to returning blockers such as Travis Glover, Darian Kinnard, John Williams and Donovan Jennings.

“I don’t really have a preference” for a position, Burton said on a Zoom call with Packers reporters. “Just whatever is going to help the Packers win games. At the end of the day, that’s all I care about now.”

If nothing else, Burton’s intelligence shines through. An avid chess player, he has experience setting protections and other duties related to being the pivot man on the offensive line.

“Last year, I had the reins in terms of fixing protections, making our run IDs and things like that. That’s definitely something I’m super comfortable with,” Burton said. “Excited to get into the new playbook and start absorbing as much information as possible.”

Sixth Round: How does Domani Jackson Fit?

Dec 6, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson (0) and Alabama defensive back Domani Jackson (1) combine to bring down Georgia running back Nate Frazier (3) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Brian Gutekunst said he wanted to add numbers at the cornerback position, and he started that job on Friday night when he took Brandon Cisse in the second round.

Of course, numbers meant they want more than one player at the position, and the Packers double-dipped with Domani Jackson being the second of two cornerback picks.

Jackson has the size to play on the boundary, measuring in at 6-foot and ¾ inches tall. Where Jackosn makes his money, however, is his speed.

Jackson ran the 40-yard-dash at the Scouting Combine in 4.41 seconds. HE’s a former sprinter in track-and-field.

Jackson spent his two first seasons at USC before moving to Alabama for his breakout season in 2024 with nine pass breakups ant two interceptions.

He returned to Alabama for his senior year to boost his draft stock, but his snaps and production declined from his junior year. He recorded 0 interceptions on the season. Jackson broke up 1 pass, and he allowed a 116.9 passer rating when targeted by opposing quarterbacks according to PFF, ultimately that led to him getting benched.

“You cant control what happens, you just have to go 100 percent in every situation, whatever it is special teams supporting your team on the sideline if you’re on the field,” Jackson said to Green Bay reporters on Zoom.

“You attack each and every day as if you’re playing. Yeah, I got benched but it’s all about perseverance, finding yourself again and doing everything the coach asked you to do to win for the team.”

The traits, and speed are ultimately what caught the Packers’ eye to bring him to Green Bay.

“Jackson is a smooth athlete with good size and elite track speed. In totality, the play and production have failed to match the traits dating back to his days at USC (2022-2023),” Lance Zierlein said.

“His 2024 tape gives evaluators the best look at his ceiling. He can disrupt from press but can be a step slow to transition in-phase from man. Tampa 2 and deep-zone coverages suit him best. Scheme won’t matter as much as consistency and confidence for Jackson, though.”

Domani Jackson will have a chance to compete at the back of the cornerback room with players like Kamal Hadden and Bo Melton for a spot not just on defense, but special teams as well.

Jackson played 160 special teams snaps across four seasons at USC and Alabama.

Jackson has an interesting connection in Green Bay as he spoke at the NFL Combine about how he found a mentor in former Green Bay Packers’ safety, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

“Ha Ha became a brother to me,” Jackson said.

“He pulled me aside and had real life conversation and the adversity I was going through during the season, helped me get out of what I was going through.”

Now, Jackson is going to play for the same team Clinton-Dix did as a pro.

“God works in mysterious ways and I guess I’m going to follow in his footsteps.”

Sixth Round: How does Trey Smack Fit?

Green Bay’s season ended one year ago largely due to the shaky kicking situation from the regular season carrying over into the postseason.

Brandon McManus missed two field goals and one extra point, effectively costing his team a touchdown in a playoff game they lost by four points.

Brian Gutekunst wanted to create competition at every position, and evidently that included kicker as he traded up in the sixth round to select Florida’s Trey Smack.

“It really does mean a lot,” Smack said.

“It’s a surreal feeling, I’m still kind of having the shakes a little bit like ‘wow is this really happening right now?’ it’s just a great feeling.”

Smack was 53-of-64 for his career at Florida, including 10-of-13 from 50 or longer with a career long of 56 yards.

He was one of three kickers to make two kicks from 50 or longer in 2025.

He has a career long of 57 yards that he kicked at the Shrine Bowl.

He made all but one of his extra points in his college career.

At minimum, there will be a kicking competition in the summer in Green Bay. At maximum, and the more likely scenario considering Gutekunst traded up to select Smack, Brandon McManus’ days are numbered just one year after signing a three-year contract worth $15.3 million.

“Competition,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “Obviously, Trey was the highest-rated kicker we had on our board. Got to give our scouting department a ton of props, a ton of credit, man. They really worked hard. I thought they did an outstanding job. Obviously, it’s a position that’s important when you’re talking about scoring points in this league and just like any other position, you can never have enough competition.”

This is not the first time Gutekunst has selected a kicker, as he did so in 2023 when Anders Carlson was drafted to be the team’s replacement for Mason Crosby.

The Carlson experiment lasted all of one season before his inconsistency helped cost the team a playoff game in San Francisco. He did not improve over the offseason and was released in favor of Brayden Narveson in 2024, before the Packers ultimately landed McManus in free agency.

One potential concern about Smack, he kicked in the SEC. Is he comfortable kicking in the cold weather of Green Bay, Wisconsin?

“100 percent, I grew up in Maryland. It’s not new to me, it’s how I started how kicking is kicking in cold weather,” Smack said.

“Eight years ago I kicked when it was snowing here on Christmas, so I have to get back into that cold weather rhythm that I had before.”

SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY PACKERS NEWSLETTER

Add us as a preferred source on Google