Packers Go On Defensive in Post-Super Bowl Mock Drafts

With Super Bowl LX complete, the focus has turned to the 2026 NFL season. Without a first-round pick, here are some possibilities for the Green Bay Packers in the upcoming draft.

Texas Longhorns defensive back Malik Muhammad celebrates after intercepting a pass against Oklahoma. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – What’s the bigger need for the Green Bay Packers entering the offseason? Is it cornerback, where Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine and Nate Hobbs combined for one interception? Or is it defensive tackle, where the team was unable to overcome the losses of T.J. Slaton, Kenny Clark and, finally, Devonte Wyatt?

Whichever way you rank them, the Packers will have to fill those holes without a first-round pick. Thus, two post-Super Bowl mock drafts addressed those needs with Day 2 picks.

Pro Football Network: Seven Rounds

Ian Cummings published a seventh-round mock draft at Pro Football Network.

With Green Bay’s first pick at No. 52 overall, Cummings selected Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad, who has excellent size (6-foot and 32-inch arms), athletic ability and “malleable coverage mobility.”

The former teammate of Matthew Golden and Barryn Sorrell had zero interceptions and eight passes defensed in 2024 and two interceptions and four additional breakups in 2025.

“Malik Muhammad has an extremely enticing profile, and he's a sharp route reader in zone,” Cummings wrote. “Jonathan Gannon will value his ability to play any technique with a physical edge.”

Muhammad according to Pro Football Focus allowed 21-of-34 passing for just 168 yards in 2025. With one touchdown and the two picks, the passer rating was just 59.4.

In the third round, the choice was Brian Parker II of Duke as a potential replacement at center for Elgton Jenkins (cut candidate) and Sean Rhyan (free agent).

“The Packers need to steady their center position, and Brian Parker II can get the job done with his stout anchor, stifling core strength, menacing rotational torque, and over-arching awareness,” Cummings wrote.

Parker would be a tackle-to-center convert. In 2025, he played 899 snaps at right tackle. In 2024, he played 828 snaps at right tackle and 50 at left tackle. In 2023, the snaps were split between the tackle spots.

PFF charged him with three sacks in 2025 and zero in 2024.

Parker has athletic DNA. His grandfather played basketball at Bucknell and a cousin, Dereck Lively, was a first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft who plays for the Dallas Mavericks.

Another offensive lineman and two defensive tackles were part of the Day 3 class, which included quarterback Jack Strand in the sixth round.

Strand is a native of Bloomer, Wis., who played at Minnesota State Moorhead. As a senior, he was a first-team All-American and finished fourth in voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy, which is the Division II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. He finished his career with more than 13,000 passing yards.

“Everyone wants to be a professional and I think that dream kind of goes away from a lot of people early on,” Strand told InForum.com recently. “I never really gave up. I always believed it was something I could do. I’m very blessed to be able to continue to pursue that dream.”

The Athletic: Three Rounds

The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner put together a three-round mock draft in which the Packers hit their key needs with those Day 2 picks.

In the second round, the choice was Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller.

“A somewhat smaller version of [Iowa State defensive tackle Domonique] Orange, Miller is another powerful and explosive interior pocket pusher who could wear multiple hats, play all three downs  and help further ease the loss of Kenny Clark,” Baumgardner explained.

Miller is one of the best run-defending defensive tackles in the draft class. He played in 13 games (all starts) in 2025. The numbers weren’t great – 1.5 sacks, three tackles for losses, 20 tackles – but NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah called him “more disruptive than productive.”

Miller started all 13 appearances in 2025 and finished with 1.5 sacks and three tackles for losses among 20 stops. It was a solid season, even if he didn’t reach the hype of being a second-team preseason All-American.

“He’s meant a lot. Take out the program, Christen’s meant a lot to me,” Georgia defensive line coach Tray Scott told Dawg Nation before this year’s Sugar Bowl. “It’s been just inspiring to just be able to see one of the guys like him who loves Georgia be able to come in and do everything he wanted and still feel like he’s underachieved. So, it’s been great, man, just seeing his growth mentally and physically.”

Muhammad was the third-round pick.

Before the season, he wrote a note to Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian that he could be trusted.

“Last year I was inconsistent, especially when it came to the postseason and the playoffs,” he said before the season. “I was inconsistent and it kind of lingered a little bit into those playoff games. I just wanted to let it be known that Coach, you can put your trust in me. I'm coming to play.”

In a season-opening showdown against Ohio State, which featured premier receiver Jeremiah Smith, PFF charged Muhammad with 2-of-4 passing for 15 yards. In fact, he gave up 20-plus yards in only two games all season and yielded just two catches of 12-plus yards.

Draft Wire: Three Rounds

Curt Popejoy’s three-round mock draft came before the Super Bowl. In it, the Packers selected Iowa offensive tackle Gennings Dunker and Georgia cornerback Daylen Everette.

The 6-foot-5, 320-pound Dunker played right tackle at Iowa and was first-team all-Big Ten in 2025, but he projects to guard in the NFL because of his limited athleticism. He allowed two sacks during each of his final two seasons and is a big-time run blocker because of his physicality.

“When run blocking, sometimes I get too excited,” he told SilverAndBlackPride.com at the Senior Bowl. “Sometimes I need to hit a single, and I’m going for a triple or even a home run. So that’s something I’ve been dialing back on. In pass protection, sometimes my hands are a little wonky. I need to throw in a little sooner or change my hand placement. That’s something I’ve been working on.”

Everette is a perimeter cornerback. He allowed 37-of-67 passing with three touchdowns and one interception in 2025, when he was third-team all-SEC for a second consecutive season. He had two interceptions against Texas in the 2024 SEC Championship Game.

Everette measured 6-foot 1/2 and 193 pounds at the Senior Bowl. Based on his 2025 play, he is one of the best tacklers among corners in this draft class.

“Really, just take advantage of all the opportunities,” Everette told Dawg Nation about advice for his former teammates. “Don’t take it for granted. You run out there and you got to play like it’s your last.”

Sharp Footballl: Second Round

Ryan McCrystal of Sharp Football made a pick for all 32 teams. That meant going into the second round for the Packers to select the aforementioned Christen Miller, a defensive tackle from Georgia.

He hit on the same thing we mentioned last week: “The defensive line depth chart remains mostly intact for 2026, but Devonte Wyatt, Colby Wooden, and Karl Brooks are all set to hit free agency after the upcoming season.”

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