NFL Draft Preview: Defensive Tackle In Every Round to Fix Big Packers Need

The Green Bay Packers have a big need at defensive tackle that must be addressed in this week’s NFL Draft. While they signed Javon Hargrave after trading Colby Wooden, it’s not a perfect player-for-player replacement.

The Packers need to strengthen their run defense. Rather than going through the entire list of prospects, here’s one good fit in each round.

Second Round: Lee Hunter, Texas Tech

Height and weight: 6-foot-3 1/2, 318 pounds. 40: 5.18. Arms: 33 1/4. RAS: 4.12.

Lee Hunter – aka “The Fridge” – had a “30” visit with the Packers.

Christen Miller of Georgia and Caleb Banks of Florida could be options here, as well, but both have unsettling injury histories. Lee Hunter, on the other hand, played in 52 games the last four seasons. He’s as sturdy as a rock and was a rock in the middle of the powerhouse Red Raiders’ defense, too, with three sacks and 11 tackles for losses in 2025.

He led the draft class by a wide margin in PFF's run-stop percentage.

He might never be a great pass rusher, but he at least has the brute force to push the pocket, which is a handy asset with Micah Parsons screaming off the edge.

“If an offensive lineman gets in front of me, I know I’m going to beat you,” Hunter said at the Scouting Combine. “That’s just how I practice. That’s how I prepare myself throughout the week, Sunday through Friday. On Saturday, I take it (to the field).”

Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter goes through drills at the Senior Bowl. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Third Round: Domonique Orange, Iowa State

Height and weight: 6-foot-2 3/8, 322 pounds. 40: DNP. Arms: 33 3/8. RAS: 7.84.

Domonique Orange should be an option at No. 52 but probably won’t last until No. 84. If the Packers look elsewhere with their first draft pick, Orange could be worth trading up for in the third round. Green Bay doesn’t have a lot of draft capital in this draft but it has plenty of picks in 2027 that it can use as ammo.

The aptly named “Big Citrus” started all 12 games in 2025. He had zero sacks and just a half-tackle for loss; the lack of playmaking ability presumably will push him down some boards. However, he played in 50 games in four seasons, so has plenty of durability to go with the prodigious size.

“One day, I had a meeting with my nutritionist, and she called me ‘Big Citrus,’” Orange told The Des Moines Register. “I was like, ‘Where you get that from?’ She said she saw it on social media, so from that point on, for whatever reason, ‘Big Citrus’ has been a thing. At first, I didn't like it, but now I'm rolling with it. I like ‘Big Citrus.’”

Fourth Round: Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State

Height and weight: 6-foot-5 1/2, 315 pounds. 40: DNP. Arms: 35 1/4. RAS: None.

Darrell Jackson is a towering mountain of a man. At 6-foot-5 1/2, it’s possible the Packers will deem him too tall for nose-tackle duty. However, his 35 1/4-inch arms and 11-inch hands are major weapons in keeping blockers at bay.

Jackson started every game in 2022, 2024 and 2025 (he played in only one game in 2023 as a transfer), so he is a durable defender. He had only one sack and three tackles for losses in 2025, down from 3.5 sacks and four TFLs in 2024. His brute force will be hard to handle one-on-one.

He played at 335 pounds for the season, he said, but slimmed down for pro day.

“I've got traits to be an All-Pro. (I'm going to) Just continue to develop as a football player,” he said at pro day.

Fifth Round: Jordan van den Berg, Georgia Tech

He was a zero-star recruit who ate a jar of peanut butter every day to gain weight. His grandfather competed in Mr. Universe competitions. He's the most athletic big man in the draft, and the most interesting.

And he's a Packers fan. ⬇️https://t.co/KKgGYFDYZw
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) April 17, 2026

Height and weight: 6-foot-3 1/4, 310 pounds. 40: 4.94. Arms: 32 1/8. RAS: 9.99.

Jordan van den Berg is the most athletic defensive lineman and probably the most interesting. He’s from South Africa, where he played rugby and his grandparents were elite athletes. He went from a zero-star linebacker recruit to a two-time all-ACC defensive tackle who had three sacks and 11 tackles for losses during his final season.

“I just love the physicality of the sport,” he told Packers On SI following his predraft visit. “I love running through people, taking on double teams. I’m seeking contact on the field. I just love it.”

His Relative Athletic Score was the highest for any defensive tackle in the draft class and second all-time.

Fifth Round: Kaleb Proctor, Southeastern Louisiana

Height and weight: 6-foot-1 7/8, 291 pounds. 40: 4.79. Arms: 33. RAS: 9.15.

The Packers have two fifth-round picks, so we’ll pick two prospects for this round. While Van den Berg will be an immediate help against the run, Kaleb Proctor will be a havoc-creator. He was a consensus FCS All-American following a dominant final season of nine sacks and 13 tackles for losses. That includes two sacks and three TFLs against LSU.

“I feel like I can compete, and I feel like I proved that at the Senior Bowl,” he said at the Scouting Combine. “I feel like I belonged right with those guys. It’s proving it to myself that I belong here, not to anybody else. I got here for a reason and I'm just sticking with that for sure.”

Proctor had a “30” with the Packers after running a 4.79 40 at the Scouting Combine.

Sixth Round: Bryson Eason, Tennessee

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia scrambles out of the pocket under pressure from Tennessee defensive lineman Bryson Eason. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Height and weight: 6-foot-2 1/4, 323 pounds. 40: 5.09. Arms: 33 1/8. RAS: 6.94.

Bryson Eason was recruited as a linebacker – his favorites were Ray Lewis and Luke Kuechly – but successfully made the transition to defensive end and, finally, defensive tackle. He started all 26 games the past two seasons, when he had 1.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for losses.

“It was new, for sure, but I'm not going to say it was hard, because I love the game of football, and I just want to play it. Whatever I get to do, I'm going to do it,” he said in 2023. “It was very, very challenging there at first, just trying to understand the details, being so close to the ball and how physical it is, but once you love doing something, you'll get it down regardless.”

Seventh Round: Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati

Height and weight: 6-foot 1/2, 340 pounds. 40: DNP. Arms: 31 7/8. RAS: None.

It’s possible Corleone will be deemed too short for the Packers, but if they’re still looking for a big run-stopper at the end of the draft, the 340-pounder might be a worthy shot.

Corleone, who was sidelined by injuries (or a blood clot) for five games over his final four seasons, started all 10 appearances in 2025. He didn’t have a sack or tackle for loss.

While he had 9.5 sacks over the previous three seasons, Corleone’s lot in life will be a hard-to-move nose tackle. He trailed only Lee Hunter in run-stop percentage.

“My stats suffered a little bit due to an ankle injury, but I was still out there making an impact,” he told On SI’s Justin Melo. “If I’m out there, the offense just isn’t going to run the ball up the middle. They have to respect me and what I’ve put on tape over the last couple of years. So, just me throwing my body out there, even though I’m not 100 percent, I was still making an impact.”

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