The Green Bay Packers made the most Packers-y move possible with the 52nd overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, their first selection of the year. General manager Brian Gutekunst selected South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse.

He is exactly what the Packers tend to like: Highly athletic, young (yet to be 21 years old), physical, with room for development.

Also, the pick addresses the most pressing need on the roster. It’s the first time since 2021 that the Packers take a cornerback before the seventh round of the draft.

What the Packers are getting

It’s tough to figure out which version of Brandon Cisse you’ll get on a play to play basis. Cisse looks the part, with quick twitch ability and the long speed to consistently hang in man coverage with all but the most elite deep threats. He can flip his hips with ease and simply glides out in space.

However, he still plays with fairly raw technique, as he tends to lunge and grab opposing receivers, and I thought his awareness in zone coverage was fairly slow. Cisse is far too reactive in coverage and slow to diagnose route concepts.

Additionally, Cisse brings mediocre ball skills when the ball is in the air and has little to no production to his name. It’s concerning how often he seemed to disappear after giving up a play, and his lack of “want-to” in run defense would concern me as a starter early on in his career.

If he can land in the right spot to unlock his gifts, he has all the upside in the world to be a quality coverage option with inside-outside versatility. Ideally, he comes in as part of a rotation behind some veterans early on who can help coach him up and build his confidence.

Brandon Cisse’s scouting report

Cisse has all the intangibles in the world to be the top cornerback in this year’s draft. His acceleration and closing speed can match up with the NFL’s best instantly and his vision makes him hard to trick and is a good bet to record the fastest 40-time of any cornerback this cycle.

He brings quite a bit of versatility to his game, with the ability to play both outside and inside positions. However, Cisse’s more slender frame and weaker play-strength means bigger-bodied receivers can get the best of him in press-man and at the top of routes. At the end of the day, Cisse’s raw technique in man coverage and tackling needs refinement, but his raw athletic talent is too good to pass up.

In a vacuum, this was clearly the biggest need on the roster — and it has been for two years. The Packers did sign Benjamin St-Juste in free agency, but they also released Nate Hobbs. The boundary situation is better as a consequence, but the overall situation of the depth is questionable at best. Beyond St-Juste, there are only Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine with meaningful NFL experience, and both have expiring deals. The Packers hadn’t used a pick before the seventh round on a cornerback since 2021, and now was clearly the time to make it.

Positional reasoning

In a vacuum, this was clearly the biggest need on the roster — and it has been for two years. The Packers did sign Benjamin St-Juste in free agency, but they also released Nate Hobbs. The boundary situation is better as a consequence, but the overall situation of the depth is questionable at best. Beyond St-Juste, there are only Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine with meaningful NFL experience, and both have expiring deals. The Packers hadn’t used a pick before the seventh round on a cornerback since 2021, and now was clearly the time to make it.

Grade: B+