D
Green Bay Packers
A costly weekend of dealing drags the Packers to a D.
by JoshWeb2 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 1 steals
· 8 reaches
The Packers spent real capital to be 172 picks early on Korey Foreman, and the board is going to hold them to it. A D that will need time and luck to look better.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. The Packers indulged a want in Perkins Jr. while a need in running back, tight end and other spots stayed open. For all the activity, running back went untouched, which is hard to explain.
Landing Roberts that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and running back is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a downhill hitter at safety. More want than need.
In pick 6 they get a long-term starter on the line at fair value. A real need, handled.
In pick No. 24 they get a plug-and-play piece up front. A clean fit for the roster.
They jumped the gun on D'Angelo Ponds, taking him earlier than his grade liked. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jacob Rodriguez at the 39th pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Elijah Sarratt in No. 52 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Caden Curry at the 84th pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A curious use of slot 120. Running back, tight end and other spots needed the pick; a linebacker in Harold Perkins Jr. did not.
Cole Payton in the Round 4 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Aiden Fisher at the 160th overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Korey Foreman this early at Round 6, Pick 20. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Chase Roberts in pick No. 236 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jack Kelly in No. 255 is fair value, right on his grade. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.