Packers pre-draft meetings offer clear clues about direction as key positional focus becomes obvious
Darrell Jackson Jr. had contact with the Packers twice and is a third-round prospect.
The Green Bay Packers have made their free agent moves for the most part. Now April is coming, and the front office definitively turns its attention to the draft. The pre-draft process has been underway for quite some time, but now it’s possible to identify patterns and understand what general manager Brian Gutekunst and his staff will prioritize.
Positional needs are evident
The Packers may or may not take the guys they are interviewing or meeting during the pre-draft process. However, the focus on certain positions is clear. Easton Butler has a pre-draft tracker, and this is a very useful tool to follow what the team is thinking.
For example, the Packers talked to three defensive backs at the NFL Combine (TJ Hall, Brandon Cisse, Bishop Fitzgerald) and visited the Pro Days with focus on eight other DBs — mostly cornerbacks, but some safeties as well.
“I do think it’s an area where depth is important,” Gutekunst said about the need to add cornerbacks in 2026. “Those guys can get hurt. They’re the smaller guys on the field, and we ask a lot of them in run support. So for me, it’s important that we have answers there.”
The Packers did add Benjamin St-Juste in free agency, but the team also released Nate Hobbs, so the necessity to add depth is the same.
Interior of the defensive line has also been a priority. The Packers talked to three defensive tackles at the Shrine Bowl (Kaleb Proctor, Darrell Jackson Jr., Landon Robinson), three at the Combine (Darrell Jackson Jr., Devem Eastern, Lee Hunter), and visited seven on Pro Days.
The performance last year was undoubtedly underwhelming, and the only addition was Javon Hargrave — right after the team traded Colby Wooden to the Indianapolis Colts for linebacker Zaire Franklin.
Offensive linemen, wide receivers, linebackers, and to a lesser extent running backs are also a big part of the process, but nothing compares to the priority to study cornerbacks and defensive tackles.
Since Brian Gutekunst took over as the general manager in 2018, he hasn’t shied away from taking multiple players at the same position in one class. Based on the pre-draft process so far, defense will be the priority — and don’t be surprised if he addresses those spots for both the short- and long-term.
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