How High Should Cornerback Be In Green Bay’s Draft Needs?

I lean toward the idea that cornerback isn’t a top-three need for the Green Bay Packers heading into the 2026 NFL Draft. They could absolutely use more depth at the position, but it’s hard to rank it above the interior offensive line, defensive line, and edge rusher.

Don’t get me wrong, Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine are not the kind of starting duo you trust on a championship team. But, for most of the season, cornerback play wasn’t a major talking point among Packers fans.

That’s largely because the pass rush was doing its job and masking some of those issues on the back end. Once Micah Parsons went down with a torn ACL, the secondary started to get exposed. And, honestly, that didn’t come as a surprise to anyone who watched Green Bay closely in 2025.

The reality is that Green Bay could have had the Legion of Boom back in their secondary last season, and it probably wouldn’t have changed much. Once Micah Parsons was out for the year, the pass rush just wasn’t getting home consistently enough.

No secondary, no matter how talented, can hold up under that kind of pressure. Even guys like Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor in their prime wouldn’t be able to cover for five, six, let alone 10 seconds, without giving something up.

That’s why I believe the defensive line should be a much higher priority. Not just because games are often decided up front, but because of where that position group stands right now. Devonte Wyatt is already 28 and has dealt with multiple injuries. Javon Hargrave is a solid short-term addition, but he’s not exactly a good run-stopper. Karl Brooks is entering the final year of his rookie deal.

Meanwhile, Parsons will most likely miss the first two games of the season at minimum. That would likely push Lukas Van Ness into a starting role alongside Barryn Sorrell, with Collin Oliver rotating in. The issue is that Van Ness is heading into Year 4 and still hasn’t fully established himself as a consistent starter, while Sorrell and Oliver didn’t really step into starting roles as rookies. That’s a lot of uncertainty for a position group that already feels like it needs more proven impact.

If Green Bay can get the pass rush back to where it was early in 2025, life gets a lot easier for whoever is playing corner. Coverage and pressure go hand in hand, and when the front is doing its job, everything behind it tends to look better.

That’s why I’d lean toward addressing the trenches early. Add more juice up front, then turn back to cornerback later on. This class has enough depth there to find solid contributors without forcing a pick too early.

I’d also put interior offensive line ahead of cornerback on the needs list. Anthony Belton ranked 32nd in pressure rate allowed among starting right guards last season. Meanwhile, Aaron Banks had a lousy debut in Titletown, so that spot isn’t exactly settled either. The interior has been the weak link of the offense for a while now, and, ultimately, it’s about keeping Jordan Love clean at all costs.

There’s a reason that matters so much. Among 41 quarterbacks with at least 120 dropbacks when kept clean last season, Jordan Love ranked first in completion percentage, second in yards per attempt, second in PFF offensive grade, second in passing grade, fourth in big-time throws, and first in passer rating.

You can make a strong case that he's the best quarterback in the league when he’s kept clean. The Packers are probably putting up 20-plus points most weeks if they do a good job of protecting him. In today’s NFL, that’s enough to win more often than not.

I’m sorry, but I just can’t put cornerback above those three positions. So much of what happens on the back end depends on how the front is performing. When the pass rush isn’t there, any secondary is going to struggle.

And when you’re paying Jordan Love $55 million a year, the priority has to be protecting him. Are we really going to argue that cornerback, one of the most volatile positions in terms of week-to-week production, should take priority over protecting your franchise quarterback? Green Bay’s offense is on a completely different level when he’s healthy and operating cleanly, and that should drive how it approaches the draft.

The Packers must address cornerback in the draft, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they double up at the position within the first three picks. I just believe there are higher priorities elsewhere.