Packers rookie makes a juicy national list that offers a fascinating glimpse at his wild potential in Green Bay
Packers rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse landed on national future hit list, and the rest of the NFL is already aware of his talent.
Brandon Cisse, the Green Bay Packers’ second-round pick, has earned a spot on a national list that speaks volumes about his trajectory in Green Bay. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue compiled a “future hit list” of 15 young players already driving the league bus, and the Packers rookie cornerback appears early on it.
The recognition stems from how impactful Cisse has been through practice and the growing expectation that he will start for Green Bay as a rookie.
What scouts and executives around the league are seeing
Cisse’s impression extends beyond the Packers’ building. An NFC rival executive offered a telling evaluation of the rookie: “LEGIT movement for a near-6-foot corner even in a few preseason reps. Seems like he shored up a corner spot for them.”
An AFC scout also praised Cisse: “Sticky man cornerback and exactly what their secondary needed.”
The path to the starting lineup wasn’t a straight line. Cisse was not practicing much with the ones during the offseason program. But with Carrington Valentine’s injury throughout training camp, Cisse took the job over, and it appears no one is taking it back. He has looked like the most talented cornerback on the Packers’ roster and is now expected to start the regular season opposite Keisean Nixon.
That progression mirrors how the Packers managed the position. Green Bay signed Benjamin St-Juste as a mid-level free agent addition and drafted Cisse in the second round. Between those two investments, Cisse was always the bigger bet for a position that badly needed an influx of talent.
It’s exactly the draft hit the Packers needed
Cornerback play was one of the Packers’ Achilles heels last season, and the front office didn’t necessarily pour massive resources into fixing it. The fact that, even without a first-round pick, Green Bay landed a player in the second round who carried a first-round grade on the team’s own board is relevant.
If Cisse can play at a high level on a super team-friendly contract for the next four years, that would be a massive surplus value. The early returns suggest the Packers may have found exactly the kind of player they needed at a fraction of the cost it would usually demand.
