The Green Bay Packers find themselves on the fringe of the current draft buzz. After last August’s trade that landed Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for two first-round picks, Green Bay is without a first-round selection in this draft cycle or the next.
The Packers do not pick until No. 52 in the second round. Green Bay owns eight selections overall, including extra picks in the fifth and seventh rounds, but just two come within the top 100. Without a first-round choice, landing an immediate contributor becomes significantly more challenging.
Some cheeseheads are calling for the team to bundle some of its extra middle-round selections in an effort to trade back up the board, possibly even into the first round. One supporter recently posed that exact scenario to Packers insider Wes Hodkiewicz in a mailbag question.
The Green Bay Packers’ 2026 NFL Draft
“Plausible,” Hodkiewicz wrote in his article.
“I just don’t think the Packers have the firepower to get back into the first this year – not without touching that 2028 first-rounder or sacrificing Day 2 picks next year. The problem with moving up this year is the value of picks plummets on Day 3. Per DraftTek’s chart, Green Bay might be able to move up five or six picks in the second round by trading their fourth-rounder and maybe two or three spots by dealing their fifth. Gutekunst likes to wheel and deal, but this could be a great year for the Packers to let the board come to them.”
The Packers feature one of the NFL’s youngest and most well-stocked rosters, so there is no clear shortage of talent on rookie contracts. Even so, first-round selections carry significant value across the league, and not having one does limit some of Green Bay’s flexibility in the draft.
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Since Green Bay already dealt away their 2027 first-round pick in the Parsons trade, it is very unlikely they would consider moving their 2028 first-rounder as well, as it would limit future flexibility.
With a weak top tier in this draft and stronger depth on Day 2, there is little incentive for Green Bay to package multiple picks to move up.