Packers’ way-too-early 53-man roster projection: Smart decisions improve the team while competition increases across the board
Packers added 17 players throughout the past few days, with six draft picks and 11 undrafted free agents. It’s a new reality to project what the roster will look like five months from now.
It was a long and exciting week for the Green Bay Packers and their fans. General manager Brian Gutekunst made six draft picks (his lowest number since taking over in 2018) and signed 11 undrafted players. That means it’s time to update our 53-man roster projection.
Note: Players with a single asterisk (*) are 2026 draft picks and players with double asterisks (**) are 2026 undrafted free agents.
Packers’ way-too-early post-draft 53-man roster projection with UDFAs
Quarterback (2)
IN: Jordan Love, Desmond Ridder
OUT: Kyle McCord, Kyron Drones**
The skinny: The Packers didn’t draft a quarterback, but signed undrafted Kyron Drones. He will most likely compete with Kyle McCord for a practice squad spot, with Desmond Ridder having all the opportunity to solidify the backup spot.
Running back (3)
IN: Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks
OUT: Pierre Strong Jr., Damien Martinez, Jaden Nixon**
The skinny: Same as quarterback: No draft pick, but an intriguing UDFA addition in Jaden Nixon. MarShawn Lloyd is the big if here due to his health, and that could open the door for some surprises down the road.
Wide receiver (5)
IN: Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, Savion Williams, Skyy Moore
OUT: Jakobie Keeney-James, Isaiah Neyor, Will Sheppard, J. Michael Sturdivant**
The skinny: Green Bay extended Jayden Reed during the draft, and Christian Watson could soon get an extension too. The only addition was J. Michael Sturdivant, a talented piece — but still a UDFA. Most likely, he will compete for a PS spot. But without Dontayvion Wicks in the mix, the rookie has a shot.
Tight end (4)
IN: Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, Josh Whyle, Drake Dabney
OUT: Messiah Swinson, RJ Maryland**, Eni Falayi**
The skinny: RJ Maryland and Eni Falayi were the undrafted players signed. Brian Gutekunst mentioned Y-tight end is the one position he intended to draft but couldn’t due to how the board fell, so don’t be surprised if the Packers add a veteran here at some point.
Offensive line (9)
IN: Jordan Morgan, Aaron Banks, Sean Rhyan, Anthony Belton, Zach Tom, Darian Kinnard, Jager Burton*, Jacob Monk, Travis Glover
OUT: John Williams, Donovan Jennings, Brant Banks, Karsen Barnhart, Dalton Cooper, Dylan Barrett**, Josh Gesky**, Dillon Wade**
The skinny: The first seven ones are roster locks. The final two or three spots are a battle between Jacob Monk, John Williams, Travis Glover, and Donovan Jennings, with the developmental guys trying to leave a stronger impression throughout the offseason program and training camp.
Defensive line (6)
IN: Devonte Wyatt, Javon Hargrave, Karl Brooks, Chris McClellan*, Warren Brinson, Jonathan Ford
OUT: Nazir Stackhouse, Anthony Campbell, Jaden Crumedy, James Ester
The skinny: Unlike the past projections, now we’re going with six interior defensive linemen because it’s a position the Packers need to have depth — and that’s why they traded up in the third round to select Chris McClellan.
Linebacker (5)
IN: Edgerrin Cooper, Zaire Franklin, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper, Nick Niemann
OUT: Kristian Welch, TJ Quinn**
The skinny: The only addition to this room was undrafted free agent TJ Quinn, so no big chances. The big move happened well ahead of the draft, with the decision to trade for Zaire Franklin, which prompted the follow-up decision of allowing Quay Walker to leave in free agency.
Edge defenders (6)
IN: Micah Parsons, Lukas Van Ness, Brenton Cox Jr., Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver, Dani Dennis-Sutton*
OUT: Arron Mosby, Nyjalik Kelly**, Dante Barnett (IPP)
The skinny: It’s hard to keep six edge defenders after rostering six defensive linemen as well, but there’s not much room to go on a different direction here. Maybe they trade a guy like Brenton Cox or move Collin Oliver to off-ball linebacker, but they will most likely want all these guys around. Mosby is a good player too, but he’s more of a PS candidate at this point. Micah Parsons could theoretically start the season on PUP, but the Packers should give him every chance to play as soon as possible.
Cornerback (6)
IN: Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Benjamin St-Juste, Brandon Cisse*, Domani Jackson*, Bo Melton
OUT: Jaylin Simpson, Kamal Hadden, Shemar Bartholomew
The skinny: This was an área of obvious improvement and need for the Packers, and they addressed it with a second-round pick in Brandon Cisse and a sixth-rounder in Domani Jackson. Now, players like Bo Melton, Jaylin Simpson, and Kamal Hadden will fight for one roster spot — and we’re going with Melton here because he can also contribute on offense and special teams.
Safety (4)
IN: Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Kitan Oladapo
OUT: Johnathan Baldwin, Mark Perry, Murvin Kenion III**
The skinny: Kenion is the new addition, but this is a solidified positional group.
Specialists (3)
IN: Trey Smack* (K), Daniel Whelan (P), Matthew Orzech (LS)
OUT: Brandon McManus, Lucas Havrisik
The skinny: The biggest surprise of the draft came late in the sixth round, when the Packers traded up to select Trey Smack. They’re not doing that just for training camp competition, Smack will be their regular season kicker barring a training camp meltdown. That’s not good News for Brandon McManus and Lucas Havrisik.
Final Word
The Packers significantly improved the roster, even with limited draft capital for not having a first-round pick. For the most part, Gutekunst was able to solve the most pressing needs of the roster in a comfortable way. The roster outlook seems clearer than it was a year ago, but training camp competition can always change things.
