At this point, it's abundantly clear that the Green Bay Packers need to find a starting cornerback in free agency or the draft. However, they have other needs that they cannot afford to overlook.
The Packers also need to beef up the interior offensive line. The issue is that they may not have much cap space to do it in free agency, even after restructuring Xavier McKinney's contract, so they may turn to the NFL Draft to make it happen.
If that's the case, Dane Brugler of The Athletic just offered a compelling option in Round 2.
The Athletic has the Packers drafting Memphis OG Emmanuel Pregnon in Round 2
In his latest two-round mock draft, Dane Brugler has the Packers drafting offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon at No. 52. It's easy to see why the pick makes sense.
Green Bay will need to revamp the offensive trenches, even if Aaron Banks sticks around, which appears to be the case, with a trio of Elgton Jenkins (likely a cap casualty), Rasheed Walker, and Sean Rhyan slated to walk in free agency. In fact, Pregnon would be an intriguing bookend to Banks.
Back in 2025, the former Oregon Duck didn't allow a single sack and only gave up three total pressures. Moreover, he posted a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 88.0. Currently, the Denver, Colorado, native is slated to go late in the first round, or early in the second, so he would be somewhat of a steal if he's available at No. 52. Having said that, there's one thing that could make Green Bay think twice about picking him.
Out of Pregonon's 48 college starts, only 12 came on the right side (and 11 of them were at Wisconsin in 2022). With Banks firmly entrenched at left guard, he would need to switch sides to play right guard, or even switch positions if the Packers view him as a center. This doesn't mean that the Packers would take him off their big board, but he would face the challenge of making the transition.
That said, Pregnon's talent would be hard to pass on.
Why the Packers could pass on Emmanuel Pregnon in the NFL Draft
There's no doubt that Emmanuel Pregnon would give the Packers a massive boost in the trenches. That said, cornerback may be a bigger priority, and when you take into account that Green Bay gave up its first-round selection as part of the Micah Parsons trade, the front office may not address the interior offensive line at No. 52.
Of course, the Packers could draft Pregnon or any other offensive lineman if any of the cornerback prospects they like are gone by the time they're on the clock. It's also worth noting that with free agency looming, Green Bay could address either need now and wait until the draft to take care of the other.
At first sight, it looked like the dearth of cap space and a first-round pick could hinder the Packers' ability to revamp the roster, but the truth is that they'll have options to add reinforcements at cornerback and along the offensive line. What route they take remains to be seen.