Packers Rookie Progress Report: Who’s Rising Up Depth Chart?

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Two weeks down, two weeks to go.

The Green Bay Packers’ offseason will continue with next week’s mandatory minicamp. Three practices are on the schedule, though coach Matt LaFleur could scrap one for a team-building event. The following week will be the third and final week of OTAs. The veterans will be sent home and the final three practices of the offseason will be geared toward the young players.

Speaking of the young players, here’s a progress report for the team’s six-player draft class as well as one undrafted player making an early move.

Second Round: CB Brandon Cisse

Cornerback was arguably the Packers’ biggest need during the offseason, and general manager Brian Gutekunst hammered it by signing Benjamin St-Juste in free agency and drafting Brandon Cisse in the second round.

As you’d expect, the overwhelming number of first-team reps have gone to the returning starting tandem of Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine. With St-Juste rehabbing an undisclosed injury, Cisse has replaced Valentine for a few snaps with the starters.

“I think I heard Dan Campbell talk about these guys in pajamas, so until you get the pads, you never truly know,” coach Matt LaFleur said this week. “But in terms of just athletically, there’s no doubt he’s got the skill-set. That’s pretty evident when he was coming out in the draft.

“And then just the attitude, the effort, the preparation, the things that he’s in control of, I think he’s done an outstanding job. He had a great play yesterday (Monday) as a cloud corner, so I think he’s doing a lot of good things.”

Third Round: DT Chris McClellan

During the first week of OTAs, second-year player Warren Brinson was the nose tackle between Javon Hargrave and Karl Brooks. This week, Chris McClellan got at least half of those snaps – if not more.

While veteran Jonathan Ford is out with an undisclosed injury, it’s obviously a good sign for McClellan that he is ahead of second-year player Nazir Stackhouse.

“It’s a good sign, but I’m not really taking nothing too serious now,” McClellan said. “Just trying to get my reps in and get my work in where I fit.”

Sure, but the coaches wouldn’t force McClellan ahead of the returning players if he had been slow to acclimate.

McClellan agreed with that premise.

“It’s just good to get that feeling, like knowing that you’re doing something right,” he said. “But, like I said, we still got a long way to go to the season here. So whatever group I’m with, ones, twos, threes, it really don’t matter. I just come, get my reps, get my work, work my techniques and try to get better every day.”

Fourth Round: Edge Dani Dennis-Sutton

With Micah Parsons and Collin Oliver not practicing, the Packers have rolled with Lukas Van Ness and Barryn Sorrell with the No. 1 defense and Brenton Cox and Dani Dennis-Sutton with the No. 2 defense.

Dennis-Sutton’s size is evident, and he’s been active with a couple of productive pass rushes.

Dennis-Sutton went to Penn State, and so did Parsons. While their collegiate careers did not overlap, Parsons is a big supporter.

“Just seeing him just this week, I think we’ve got a really, really good football player,” Parsons said on Wednesday. “I knew he was good at Penn State. But I think specifically in this 3-4 system, he’s going to have a lot of success, just with his length, his speed, his violence that he plays with. He’s going to be a really good football player for us.”

Fifth Round: C/G Jager Burton

Burton took about half of the first-team reps at right guard this week, though that was mostly a byproduct of the musical chairs up front. During Week 1 of OTAs last week, Anthony Belton was at his customary spot at right guard and Darian Kinnard was filling in for Zach Tom at right tackle. This week, Belton bounced out to right tackle, Kinnard took some reps at left tackle and Burton stepped in at right guard.

It also is important to note that Jacob Monk, who ended last season as the top interior backup and played well when he started at Minnesota, and Donovan Jennings are out with injuries.

“It’s early, obviously, and we have some guys banged up getting back,” Burton said. “So, for me, it’s just really cool to get out there with guys that know so much, have so much knowledge about football and about playing the NFL, and hearing how they talk, and taking that back to the twos whenever I’m in with the twos and trying to sound like that first group when I’m at center or whatever it may be.

“So, just get around those guys and see the speed and how they get off the ball and going against the two (defensive) line, it was really cool.”

However, had Burton been slow to pick up the scheme, the coaches could have gone in a different direction.

“Yeah, that’s probably fair to say,” he said. “Coach (Luke) Butkus always says, ‘Get better at one thing every day,’ so just trying to chip away at that one thing and look back at the end of it and see all those one things, take it day by day. So. trying to live where my feet are right now and just enjoy this moment.”

Sixth Round: CB Domani Jackson

Domani Jackson, who plunged into the sixth round despite having first-round ability, has not practiced due to an undisclosed injury. He’s been doing rehab work on the side so probably isn’t too far from getting on the field.

Sixth Round: K Trey Smack

It’s far too early to be reaching for the panic button, let alone smacking it, but Trey Smack endured a rough day at OTAs on Tuesday. Of his nine field-goal attempts, he missed four – including two that were the equivalent of shanking your tee shot into the next fairway.

“I think it’s practice for a reason,” Smack said. “Everyone’s not perfect, so you’re going to miss some, you’re going to make some. The wind wasn’t really that big of a problem. It’s like, what I have to do to make the kick. So, the wind’s always going to be there, and I just got to make the kick.”

Undrafted: G Dillon Wade

In Green Bay’s impressive rookie class, Dillon Wade was one who quickly caught your attention. At Auburn in 2024, he saw considerable action at left tackle, left guard and right tackle. In 2025, he focused on left guard and allowed only one sack.

With Jacob Monk and Donovan Jennings not practicing, the rest of the interior linemen have gotten to move up a rung. Last week, Wade took all the No. 2 reps at left guard (ahead of fellow undrafted free agents Josh Gesky and Dylan Barrett).

Obviously, the return of Monk and Jennings will impact Wade’s spot on the pecking order, but if he can open the eyes of coaches with this opportunity, he’ll be in a good position when training camp begins next month.

All of the other undrafted free agents, including receiver J. Michael Sturdivant, tight end R.J. Maryland and edge rusher Nyjalik Kelly, are with the third units.

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