Here’s How Packers Should Handle Day 2 of Draft

GREEN BAY – With no first-round pick, the Green Bay Packers entered the 2026 NFL Draft with some limitations.

Friday will provide some opportunities.

First, the preface. I kind of hate the headline. It’s my job to write an interesting headline, which I apparently did since you’re here. With that said, who am I to tell Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst how to do his job? That I, with significantly less information at my disposal, know better than he does?

OK, with that out of the way:

The Packers will enter the night with eight draft picks, including only two top-100 selections. That’s not a lot of draft capital – especially premium draft capital – to address a rather substantial list of needs.

Really, they could use a player at almost every position.

To me, the biggest need is for the biggest player on the field. They need a nose tackle. In 2009, when Dom Capers was hired to install a 3-4 defense, then-general manager Ted Thompson handed Capers a welcome gift that included B.J. Raji with the ninth overall pick.

A year later, the Packers won the Super Bowl.

In 2026, it’s back to the 3-4. Green Bay needs defensive linemen, in general, and a nose tackle, in particular.

There’s not a lot of them in this draft class, but one stands above the others.

Texas Tech’s Lee Hunter is a terrific player. “The Fridge” had three sacks and 11 tackles for losses at Central Florida in 2023 and matched those numbers to earn second-team All-American honors for Texas Tech in 2025.

Hunter is available after the first round because he’s not an impact pass rusher – and might never be one – so might not see the field on many third-and-long situations. Is a second-round pick too rich for a two-down player?

No. Opposing offenses have veered more into balanced approaches. In 2025, the median offense ran the football 44.2 percent of the time. In 2020, it was 41.4 percent. In 2015, it was 40.3 percent.

Hunter is tremendous against the run. Because of his combination of brute strength, violent hands and surprisingly quick feet, he had 24.5 tackles for losses on running plays alone the last three seasons.

Here’s the challenge. There’s no guarantee Hunter will be available for the Packers at No. 52. If Gutekunst wants to give Gannon a welcome basket that includes a nose tackle, he might have to get aggressive.

Of course, the Packers, as mentioned earlier, don’t have a lot of draft capital. There are other needs for Gutekunst to tackle, so he can’t afford to do the diet version of Mike Ditka giving away the entire draft for Ricky Williams.

By points on this tried-and-true trade-value chart, a package of the Packers’ picks at No. 52 of the second round and No. 120 of the fourth round would equal 434 points. That would get Green Bay up five spots to No. 47, which is the Colts’ spot.

Gutekunst could get more aggressive by making it his second- and third-round picks – the combined 550 points could shoot them all the way up to No. 35 – but that’s probably too rich given the other needs. The Dontayvion Wicks trade gave the Packers an extra fifth-round pick, but I can’t imagine he’d trade three draft picks to move up for one player. He could tap into his stash of 2027 picks, though that’s something he said he’d rather not do.

If Hunter falls into range but there’s a fear he won’t fall all the way, it would be worth seeing if there’d be any takers for those second- and fourth-round selections.

How About Third Round?

After trading up in the second round, the goal would be to trade the third-round pick to at least get back to eight selections. It takes two to tango, obviously, but let’s say Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan owes Gutekunst a favor for picking up his dry cleaning or something.

Green Bay’s pick in the third round is No. 84. Miami has a pick toward the end of the third round at No. 94. By points on the trade-value chart, that’s a difference of 46. The Dolphins have a pick toward the end of the fourth round that’s worth 42 points.

Voila, the Packers would be back to eight picks (or even nine if the Dolphins were to throw in one of their picks in the seventh because Gutekunst sent a congratulatory fruit basket to Miami). Rather than No. 84 of the third round and No. 120 of the fourth round, it would be No. 94 of the third round and No. 130 of the fourth round, plus their two picks in the fifth, one in the sixth and two in the seventh.

There should be plenty of inviting options with that third-round selection. The Packers could use a high-upside cornerback, another pass rusher and a versatile offensive lineman. There should be at least one quality option at each of those positions at No. 94.

Given the lack of proven depth on the offensive line, a player like Florida’s Austin Barber, who has played left and right tackle, and Texas A&M’s Trey Zuhn III, who has played left tackle and center, would make a lot of sense if available.

So, it’s Hunter and Zuhn tonight, and then get a cornerback, running back and a receiver to start Saturday.

SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY PACKERS NEWSLETTER

Add us as a preferred source on Google