Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst left all options open as he spoke to the media during his pre-draft press conference. The Packers might trade up, they might move back. They might just stay put.
Stay put they did with the 52nd overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, even as tempting names called out like sirens as Round 2 commenced.
Among the cornerbacks: Colton Hood…Jermod McCoy…Avieon Terrell. At defensive tackle: Lee Hunter…Christen Miller. Edge rusher Zion Young lasted until the 45th pick.
As Gutekunst telegraphed, cornerback, in particular, was a position of keen interest. Instead of burning additional draft capital to move up and grab one of the prospects above, or even take the bait at DT with a pre-draft visit like Miller still on the board, the Packers held their fire.
And that discipline paid off in the best way possible. Without paying a premium to do so, Green Bay landed South Carolina corner Brandon Cisse, one of their top targets at the position. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who can never have enough defensive backs on his roster, should be elated. Even for those not a fan of the pick, it was an objective Packers win.
Packers reap benefits of patient approach in more ways than one
Consensus opinion would agree. Cisse was ranked in the 40s on most big boards, often 10 picks or more before the Packers would hit the clock. Scout assessment of the 20-year-old SC alum is through the roof.
Cisse is solid in coverage and a beast against the run. He's a boundary corner, not a slot defender. His strength of character is an asset. He checks off all the Packers' boxes.
It would have been easy for Green Bay to get antsy with Cisse still on the board as the clock ticked ever closer to the Packers' position at 52. They had held off on trading up for Hood, McCoy, or Terrell. Miller was gone at 42. Hunter went off the board at 49.
The New York Jets took a corner of their own at No. 50, Indiana's D'Angelo Ponds. At 5-foot-9, he isn't a Packers type, even had he been available.
But Gukekunst & Co. didn't panic, and the reward was, aside from Hood or Chris Johnson (a first-rounder), probably their top cornerback option. Still shy of his 21st birthday, Cisse may need a minute to develop, but he'll do good things for the franchise and has a chance to make an immediate impact.
By keeping the powder dry in Round 2, the Packers also left themselves ammunition to trade up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to take defensive tackle Chris McClellan later on, sacrificing the 84th and 160th picks to do so. With Domonique Orange available until the 83rd overall pick, the decision to pay up for McClellan was a polarizing one, to say the least.
Nonetheless, Green Bay clearly liked what they saw in scouting the former Missouri Tigers DT, who should have a chance to see real snaps in Gannon's 3-4 base defense.
Shrewdly waiting for Cisse at 52 made both selections possible.
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