March 22, 2026, 5:16 p.m. CT

The 2026 draft class is strong at linebacker, and full of athletes the Green Bay Packers are likely to be drawn to.

Based on the current construction of their linebacker depth chart though, the Packers might already be finished making moves at that position.

At present, Green Bay has Edgerrin Cooper, Zaire Franklin, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper, Nick Niemann, Jamon Johnson and Kristian Welch in their linebacker room.

Quay Walker, who was previously the Packers’ ‘Mike’ linebacker and leader of the group, left in free agency, joining the Raiders on a three-year, $40.5 million deal. That meant a move at linebacker to replace him was always likely unless Green Bay was comfortable letting McDuffie and Hopper, a former top-100 draft pick, fill the gap.

Clearly that was not the case, as Zaire Franklin was acquired in a trade with the Colts that sent defensive tackle Colby Wooden in the other direction. A veteran player turning 30 before the 2026 season starts, Franklin figures to take over the Mike role and start alongside Cooper.

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The Packers made conscious decisions to bring back Niemann and Welch, as both were free to walk away as free agents.

General manager Brian Gutekunst picked out linebacker as a position that needed more competition when speaking with the media at the NFL Scouting Combine, and his actions have backed that up.

It is interesting though that they have purposely stocked the roster with so many linebackers, especially given the change in defensive coordinator.

Jonathan Gannon’s famous line is that he does not have a scheme, but if he had to be pinned down, his defenses deploy more 3-4 principles than the 4-3 that Jeff Hafley ran for two years in Green Bay.

In theory, that means fewer middle linebacker bodies on the field. In Hafley’s scheme, the Packers would have three off-ball ‘backers out there in base, with one of them leaving the field in sub packages.

For Gannon’s, the extra front-seven body in base will be a nose tackle, not a linebacker. That means Green Bay are likely to have a maximum of two middle linebackers at all times, with the two outside linebacker spots taken by pass rushers who were defensive ends in Hafley’s scheme.

Assuming the top two are Cooper and Franklin, McDuffie will be demoted to a backup role after playing more than 1,800 snaps over the last two seasons and being a starter when the Packers were in base.

Hopper will be pushed even further away from the starting lineup than he already was. Entering his third year in the league, that is not a great sign for his long term prospects. Add three more players in Niemann, Johnson and Welch into that mix, and it seems a bit like overstaffing the position.

Another word for that is just ‘depth’, and perhaps the Packers want to have strong backups in McDuffie as the Mike and Hopper as the Will and ensure they do not run out of bodies with the other players at the back end of the depth chart.

But maybe there could be another move to be made in terms of someone exiting the picture, because as things stands, it can be argued Green Bay actually can’t draft another linebacker next month.

It is well known Gutekunst likes to enter the draft with the roster in a state that he is not forced into taking a certain position.

Surely the same concept applies to not having such a crowded group that they are unable to draft a player they like, because they either do not have room for them or a pathway to eventually grow into a role.

Perhaps McDuffie is not deemed an ideal fit in Gannon’s system. If so, would the Packers be able to get something for him in a trade? He is coming off a career year and will make less than $5 million this year. If they were to move on from him though, they may not have a natural backup Mike.

If there are no exits though, the Packers are probably already finished with the linebacker position ahead of the 2026 season. They are certainly in a comfortable spot with the current composition of the room. Time will tell if anything changes in terms of ins or outs.