March 22, 2026, 9:55 a.m. CT

The 2026 NFL Draft is a little over a month away, and it’s become increasingly obvious what approach general manager Brian Gutekunst is going to take when the Green Bay Packers are on the clock.

Just kidding.

Actually, after addressing multiple areas of the roster during the free agency period, Gutekunst hasn’t boxed himself into any corners when it comes to how the team needs to approach this year’s draft.

The Packers don’t have a first-round pick this year, so the pressure of finding an immediate contributor is absent—it’s not like Gutekunst ever really subscribed to that thought process anyway.

A month ago, if you were trying to narrow down who the Packers would take with the No. 52 overall pick, defensive tackle, cornerback, and maybe even off-ball linebacker all would have been safe choices. Now, your guess is as good as any.

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Before free agency even began, Gutekunst traded a defensive tackle on an expiring rookie contract to the Indianapolis Colts for inside linebacker Zaire Franklin. This shut the door on the possibility of bringing back Quay Walker and probably drafting an off-ball linebacker on Day 2.

Corner also would have been a safe bet until Green Bay reached a deal with Benjamin St-Juste. They did release Nate Hobbs, which could be viewed as an addition by subtraction, given how poorly he played last season. St-Juste isn’t an elite playmaker or high-end starter, but he is an ideal fit in the Packers’ new defensive system and will be another experienced option to have along with Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine.

So surely, after trading away a 16-game starter from last season in Colby Wooden, defensive tackle must be a priority in the draft, right? Not necessarily.

After losing Wooden, Gutekunst upgraded by signing Javon Hargrave, reuniting the 33-year-old with the defensive coordinator who was able to unlock his highest potential, and fortified the interior of the defensive line with a reliable veteran presence it had missed last season without Kenny Clark.

So what are the Packers’ biggest needs heading into next month’s draft? Corner and defensive tackle still rank high in terms of depth needs. Edge rusher also falls into that category after parting ways with Rashan Gary, and no proven option opposite Micah Parsons.

It also wouldn’t be surprising if Green Bay’s draft board featured a healthy amount of quarterbacks, offensive linemen, tight ends, and wide receivers.

We all saw how valuable it was to have Malik Willis ready to step in for Jordan Love and run an efficient offense. The Packers’ offensive line was a disaster at times last season, and since then, they’ve lost arguably their most versatile offensive lineman in team history and their starting left tackle.

Jordan Morgan is expected to show why he was a first-round pick in 2024 by being trusted to protect Love’s blindside. After proving himself at center last year, Sean Rhyan was brought back for continuity and to ensure the team didn’t have to pigeonhole themselves into drafting a rookie starter as they did five years ago with Josh Myers.

Meanwhile, Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, Dontayvion Wicks, and Jayden Reed are all in the final years of their rookie contracts, so you also can’t rule out any pass-catching prospects either.

All this is to say, Gutekunst has done a good job of ensuring he can be flexible when it comes to the draft. He has always preached a “taking the best player available” approach, and that might be even more true this year than in others. The Packers could use reinforcements in a number of spots, which plays right into Gutekunst’s hands in letting the board come to him.