The Green Bay Packers figure to target a cornerback rather early in their 2026 NFL Draft proceedings. Unfortunately, they don't have a first-round pick to work with, and there's enough smoke to suggest there's fire on a possible early run of players at the position.
Beyond the obvious, slam-dunk first-rounders like LSU's Mandoor Delane and Tennessee's Jermod McCoy, other names are surfacing in the Day 1 conversation. Look no further than DraftKings' odds, where McCoy's teammate, Colton Hood (-250), San Diego State's Chris Johnson (-180), and even Clemson's Aevion Terrell (+120) have quite favorable odds to be drafted in the first round.
Another name on that list is South Carolina's Brandon Cisse. Although he's an implied Round 1 long shot at +450, it takes only one team to fall in love with him. That's proven by FanSided's own 12th Man Rising site expert, Lee Vowell, in our brand-new NFL Draft big board.
New 2026 NFL Draft big board update poses Seahawks as grave threat to Packers' draft dreams
Check out the Seahawks tab on the FanSided big board, and you'll see a power ranking of Seattle's top five draft targets with the 32nd overall pick. Per Vowell, the Seahawks are keen to add a cornerback at that spot, with Cisse and Johnson as the top two options.
Here's what Vowell has to say about Cisse in particular:
"The advantage that Cisse has is that general manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald would clearly trust what South Carolina is doing with their defensive backs after Nick Emmanwori turned in a fantastic rookie season in 2025. Cisse is worth a first-round pick on his own merit, however. He's got good length and is excellent against the run, a must for a CB in Macdonald's scheme. What he lacks in technique can be coached up with the Seahawks."
So much of a draft prospect's outlook depends on scheme, culture fit, and mutual comfort level. Seattle had raging success tapping into South Carolina's talent pipeline in the 2025 draft, when John Schneider boldly traded up for Gamecocks defensive back Nick Emmanwori.
Although Cisse and Emmanwori weren't teammates since the former transferred from NC State, the Seahawks at least have familiarity with the program. They lost Riq Woolen to the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency. Capping off the first round with Cisse makes a lot of sense.
And that's all awful news for the Packers. Whether Cisse is on the board or not, Green Bay has done quite a bit of homework on Chris Johnson. Seattle's more local scouts must be all over the San Diego State product.
In the seven-round mock draft I linked to in the lede, I had the Packers going for Arizona State corner Keith Abney II at No. 52. He's a fine prospect, just not as good as Johnson.
On my pseudo-final top 175 big board (pseudo because it's still subject to last-minute changes!), I rank all the cornerbacks in question as follows:
25. Colton Hood
29. Chris Johnson
39. Keith Abney II
42. Aevion Terrell
46. Brandon Cisse
Hood should be long gone before Green Bay goes on the clock. Johnson might have a chance to skid into Round 2, but all the momentum says otherwise. The Pack could luck out and still get who I believe is the next-best option in the next wave.
All that said, the Cheeseheads may be forced to sit back and watch another NFC contender — the defending Super Bowl champs, no less! — draft a superior cornerback ahead of them. Be it Cisse, Johnson, or Abney, all could be in play for Seattle at No. 32.
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