After losing to the dreaded rival Chicago Bears in the playoffs, the Green Bay Packers have their work cut out for them if they want to avoid being one-and-done in 2026. Among their top priorities on their to-do list this offseason is adding reinforcements at corner.
The issue is that the Packers, as of this writing, are nearly $6 million over the cap. And even if they manage to free up a bit of space, it may not be nearly enough to pursue a top-tier corner in free agency, such as Jamel Deal. Compounding the issue is that Green Bay gave up its 2026 first-round pick as part of the Micah Parsons trade, and their earliest selection in this year's draft comes at No. 52. Having said that, not everything is doom and gloom.
This year's batch is loaded with talent at cornerback, so the Packers could easily come out of the second round with a game-altering talent. That's precisely what John Kosko of Pro Football Focus thinks they'll do.
The Packers roll with Colton Hood in PFF's best-case scenario
John Kosko drew up a list of the best-case scenarios for each NFC team. For the Packers, it's finally landing the shutdown cornerback they've been missing since they cut ties with Jaire Alexander last year. Here's the skinny.
"Following Jaire Alexander's release last offseason, the Packers are missing a true difference-maker at the cornerback position," Kosko wrote. "Hood has the capabilities to be that caliber of player, as he finished 2025 with an 80.3 PFF coverage grade after transferring to Tennessee from Colorado."
For context, Hood is one of the top cornerback prospects in this year's draft, landing at No. 28 in Dane Brugler's top-100 big board. He's projected to go late in the first round or early in the second. In fact, there's a chance the former Tennessee Vol will be gone by the time Green Bay is on the clock. That's why drafting him would indeed be the best-case scenario.
Keep in mind that this isn't the first time Hood has been mocked to Green Bay, so landing him wouldn't necessarily be that far-fetched.
Why it makes sense for the Packers to draft Colton Hood
According to PFF, Hood allowed 318 yards and one touchdown with one interception in his coverage last season, a passer rating of just 70.8. His 80.3 PFF coverage grade ranked 84th among 897 cornerbacks.
At this point, it's abundantly clear that cornerback is at the top of the Packers' priority list. What's uncertain is how they're going to address it. Green Bay could resort to free agency, but because of its cap shape, the draft appears to be the best course of action.
Lombardi Ave's own Freddie Boston has the Packers drafting Chris Johnson in a recent four-round mock draft to take care of the issue. All things considered, that would be a solid pick and a pretty good fallback in case Hood or any of the top cornerback prospects are off the board.
Heck, you could even make the case that Johnson is a better prospect after posting a jaw-dropping outing at the scouting combine. On the other hand, Hood is no slouch, having made a strong impression at the Senior Bowl, so he would also be an intriguing addition at No. 52.
In the end, though, the Packers will have no shortage of options to address the cornerback position, so it won't matter who they choose as long as he becomes a mainstay of their defensive backfield for years to come.