We’ll be hearing a lot about the Green Bay Packers’ need for a cornerback this offseason, and rightfully so. Regardless of who’s available when the Packers pick in the second round, many fans want general manager Brian Gutekunst to go cornerback.
One name that could be available right around pick No. 52 when Green Bay is on the clock is Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds. Would Gutekunst go outside his comfort zone to draft Ponds?
Since Gutekunst took over as general manager in 2018, the Packers have never drafted a cornerback shorter than 5’10”. In fact, it’s pretty well known at this point that Green Bay doesn’t dabble with shorter cornerbacks. Jaire Alexander was listed at 5’10” when he became Gutekunst’s first pick in his inaugural draft as general manager of the Packers. One inch in height may not sound like much, but it is, and Ponds is really on the smaller side when factoring in weight.
D’Angelo Ponds is listed at 5’9”, 170 lbs. He’ll get official measurements during the NFL Combine at the end of the month. One look at Ponds’ measurables and it’d be a safe assumption to suggest Green Bay will look away. However, could Ponds’ other traits and his top-line speed get Gutekunst to pay a little more attention?
Ponds became a star at Indiana with elite speed, incredible ball skills, and top-notch play recognition. The major blemish on his résumé is his size, coupled with his shorter arms.
Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds is someone every defensive coordinator will fight tooth and nail to get his team to draft, regardless of his physical limitations. His performance against Miami encompasses his value to a defense.
+ Dog mentality. Doesn’t back down from a… pic.twitter.com/FLBvQ2f8XX
— Drew Collings (@DrewMCollings) February 4, 2026
There are legitimate questions about how Ponds will fare at the next level if he’s on the outside against bigger wide receivers like Puka Nacua or Drake London. As a result, pundits wonder if the team that drafts Ponds will move him to the slot.
Mock draft analysts have pegged Ponds as a second-round pick, and it just so happens the Packers don’t pick until the second round and have a pressing need at cornerback. Because of that, some mocks have Ponds landing in Green Bay. Perhaps they don’t know how Gutekunst and Co. typically operate when it comes to corner.
Earlier in February, Gutekunst said the team needs to add depth at cornerback but doesn’t believe wholesale changes are needed.
We had some injuries there. Hobbs missed most of the season, never really got going. I thought Carrington (Valentine) stepped in and did a great job, he’s a young player that’s still getting better. Keisean (Nixon) had a very, very good year, he was in the top three in PBUs and did some really good things.
So, do we need wholesale changes? No, I do think it’s an area though that those guys can get hurt, they’re the smaller guys on the field, we ask a lot of those guys in run support, so depth there for me is important that we have answers.
Addressing that depth with Ponds feels unlikely.
As stated by NFLDraftBuzz.com, Ponds will probably test well at the combine. He’ll have that working in his favor.
Here is the deal with Ponds: He is going to test well, the ball production is outstanding, the competitive fire is undeniable, and the coverage grades across zone, man, run defense, and tackling are all exceptional. He is a legitimate playmaker at the cornerback position who has performed against top-tier competition in the biggest games of the college football season. The 4.3 speed and his ability to process information before the snap give him a toolkit that translates to multiple schemes.
The one looming question for anyone interested, including Green Bay, is the frame.
The real question every front office will wrestle with is whether his physical limitations create too low a floor at the outside corner position in the NFL. He does not have the length to consistently contest back-shoulder fades or high-point battles against the 6’3” receivers that populate the league.
If the Packers use a second-round pick on a cornerback this year, it’d be pretty risky to do so on someone who doesn’t fit their archetype. If it were a sixth- or seventh-round pick, perhaps it’s a different story. As of now, Green Bay’s second-round pick will be their first in the draft. Gutekunst doesn’t have a reputation for making risky moves, and this doesn’t seem like a spot where he’d be keen to do so.
Ponds is a super-fun prospect and had an incredible two-year stretch at Indiana that culminated in a National Championship win over Miami, in Miami. Ponds pops on the tape, and you can see the instincts on full display, like when he intercepted Oregon quarterback Dante Moore on the very first play of the College Football Playoff Semifinal and took it back to the house.
D’Angelo Ponds📈📈
Outside leverage vs. condensed split. Patient pedal, stays square and anticipates an out breaking route.
Breaks on the upfield and undercuts it for the pick-six. Dante Moore’s pass is late and inside. pic.twitter.com/bX4yYbxKBS
— Kendell Hollowell (@KHollowell_) January 10, 2026
There are so many boxes D’Angelo Ponds checks, and whoever drafts him will have a fun prospect to mold. Still, it’d be pretty shocking to see Gutekunst go that route in the draft in the second round, given Ponds’ size and how the Packers have historically drafted at the position, even before Gutey’s time in the big chair.