The Brandon Cisse Pick Was On-Brand For Green Bay

General manager Brian Gutekunst took aim, armed with the No. 52 overall in the draft as his first, best weapon after giving up their first-rounder last year. He targeted Brandon Cisse and killed two birds with one stone.

First, it helped address a position that needed reinforcements at cornerback. Secondly, the Packers had Cisse high on their board, and it was a very on-brand pick.

Look at almost any write-up on Cisse, and you'll read about evaluators talking about his athleticism first and foremost. Take his 9.24 out of 10 Relative Athletic Score, which follows the trend year over year: The Packers draft players who happen to have a high RAS.

Take Lance Zierlein's draft profile on NFL.com, which first highlighted the traits and athleticism.

Consider the AFC scout, who said, "You draft [Cisse] more for tomorrow's tools than today's tape."

The Packers surprised some when they drafted Lukas Van Ness at No. 13 overall in 2023. Van Ness never started a game at Iowa, and the stats didn't jump off the page. The athleticism and traits did, though, and it followed a consistent trend for the Packers of drafting athletes more than drafting football players.

Hopefully, Cisse will be a blend of both, but at nearly 6'0", 190 lbs. with a 4.41 40-yard dash time, let's not kid ourselves. The Packers made this selection because Cisse had the frame, size, and speed they prefer at cornerback, and they hope it translates to the next level.

Cisse spent two years at North Carolina State before making the jump to the SEC and South Carolina. His play didn't waver against some of the best wide receivers in the country. His length and straight-line speed helped him constantly disrupt opposing offenses and often gave him an upper hand.

In Green Bay, Cisse will likely spend most of his time on the boundary. Still, he has the versatility, playing a good chunk of snaps in the slot as well throughout college. That's another box getting checked off of the Packers’ familiar wishlist.

Gutekunst said after the first round on Thursday that he liked where the board was for the Packers. He pounced on Cisse in the second round without having to trade up. After the selection, he

What Cisse's immediate role will be is anyone's guess at this point, and training camp and the preseason will have a lot of say in how that all comes together. However, considering the Packers used a second-round pick on Cisse and there is a need for more consistent production at cornerback, it'd be surprising for Cisse not to have some role even as a very young rookie.

Cisse was one of the youngest players in the draft. He’s only 20 years old. Gutekunst turned Cisse's youthfulness into a positive with a fun development comparison.

Green Bay didn't hesitate on Cisse because of his size, speed, and commitment to holding his own against the run. Whether the Packers admit it or not, his high athletic metrics worked massively in his favor.

Some people thought Cisse could go higher than No. 52 and wouldn't be available. After cornerbacks went later than expected in Round 1, it became apparent that Green Bay could end up having multiple options in the second round if they wanted to target that position specifically.

They went with Cisse, and you don't need to do a deep dive into his profile to see why Green Bay selected him. He’s the poster child for what the Packers favor in prospects.