{"id":851157,"date":"2026-04-03T11:45:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T11:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/851157\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T11:45:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T11:45:30","slug":"green-bay-packers-meet-your-new-nfl-draft-crush-indiana-cb-dangelo-ponds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/851157\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Indiana CB D’Angelo Ponds"},"content":{"rendered":"

It may feel a bit too early to start thinking about the 2026 NFL Draft, but mock draft season will be upon us before you know it. In fact, for many fans, mock draft season started the minute the\u00a0Green Bay Packers<\/a>‘ 2025 season ended.<\/p>\n

A lot is going to happen between now and April 23rd, when the draft kicks off in Pittsburgh. Right now, the Packers don’t have a first-round pick, and they’ll start their selections with pick No. 52, which is in the second round.<\/p>\n

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Not having a first-rounder in the 2026 and 2027 NFL Drafts was part of the price the Packers paid for getting Micah Parsons. They gave a lot to get a lot back in return, and that’s just part of the reality general manager Brian Gutekunst will have to work with unless he’s able to swing another trade and somehow get back into the first round.<\/p>\n

So who should the Packers target in Round 2 and beyond? There are going to be a ton of names thrown around and many of them will be great picks.<\/p>\n

Iowa offensive lineman Genning Dunker:<\/p>\n

\"Green<\/a><\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Iowa Lineman Gennings Dunker<\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Iowa Lineman Gennings Dunker Iowa’s Gennings Dunker, a mauling offensive lineman, could be the Green Bay Packers’ second-round answer to their interior line needs. Get ready for this draft crush. <\/a><\/p>\n

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Iowa State defensive lineman Domonique Orange:<\/p>\n

\"Green<\/a><\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Iowa State DL Domonique Orange<\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Iowa State DL Domonique Orange Iowa State’s “Big Citrus” offers size and surprising athleticism. Could Domonique Orange be the run-stuffing force the Green Bay Packers desperately need? <\/a><\/p>\n

Texas defensive back Malik Muhammad:<\/p>\n

\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Texas DB Malik Muhammad<\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Texas DB Malik Muhammad Texas Longhorns DB Malik Muhammad emerges as a potential day two cornerback solution for the Green Bay Packers, bringing playmaking prowess from SEC play. <\/a><\/p>\n

Arizona State defensive back\u00a0 Keith Abney II:<\/p>\n

\"Green<\/a><\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Arizona State DB Keith Abney II<\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Arizona State DB Keith Abney II Arizona State’s Keith Abney II could bring playmaking prowess and elite athleticism to the Green Bay Packers’ defensive backfield. <\/a><\/p>\n

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Texas Tech Red Raiders DL Lee Hunter:<\/p>\n

\"Green<\/a><\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Texas Tech DL Lee Hunter<\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Texas Tech DL Lee Hunter Texas Tech’s Lee Hunter is a disruptive force who could anchor the Green Bay Packers’ defensive line and ignite the 2026 draft’s second round. <\/a><\/p>\n

Northwestern Wildcats OL\u00a0Caleb Tiernan:<\/p>\n

\"Green<\/a><\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Northwestern OL Caleb Tiernan<\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Northwestern OL Caleb Tiernan The Green Bay Packers seek offensive line upgrades. Northwestern’s massive, versatile Caleb Tiernan offers elite size and athleticism to fill critical needs. <\/a><\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns LB Anthony Hill Jr.:<\/p>\n

\"Green<\/a><\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Texas LB Anthony Hill Jr.<\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Texas LB Anthony Hill Jr. With linebacker depth uncertain, Texas LB Anthony Hill Jr. offers explosive athleticism and game-wrecking potential for the Green Bay Packers’ second-round strategy. <\/a><\/p>\n

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Ohio State Buckeyes CB Davison Igbinosun:<\/p>\n

\"Green<\/a><\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Ohio State CB Davison Igbinosun<\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Ohio State CB Davison Igbinosun The Green Bay Packers could eye physical Ohio State corner Davison Igbinosun. His shutdown potential and press coverage skills could make him a second-round steal in the 2026 NFL Draft. <\/a><\/p>\n

Michigan Wolverines EDGE Derrick Moore:<\/p>\n

\"Green<\/a><\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Michigan EDGE Derrick Moore<\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers: Meet Your New NFL Draft Crush, Michigan EDGE Derrick Moore Michigan’s Derrick Moore offers raw power and sack potential. Could he be the Green Bay Packers’ second-round solution at EDGE? <\/a><\/p>\n

\"Oct<\/p>\n

Oct 18, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers defensive back D’Angelo Ponds (5) breaks up a pass intended for Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Omari Kelly (1) during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n

The Packers have a massive need at cornerback. That’s been beaten to death this offseason, but it doesn’t make it any less true.<\/p>\n

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Keisean Nixon can’t be the CB1 heading into 2026 and Carrington Valentine is no better. Benjamin St-Juste is a nice offseason addition as a depth piece, but he’s likely not going to be that big of a difference-maker.<\/p>\n

The Packers must take a swing in Round 2 at pick No. 52 to try to find their next CB1, and if Indiana Hoosiers cornerback D’Angelo Ponds is there, he’ll be a home run pick.<\/p>\n

That’s a big if, because he just ran a blazing 4.31 40-yard dash at Indiana’s pro day.<\/p>\n

That’s incredible speed, and then you throw in Ponds’ playmaking ability. He notched 61 tackles, two interceptions (one taken back for a touchdown), four tackles for loss, one forced fumble and 11 passes defended last season for the Hoosiers during their incredible undefeated season and national championship run.<\/p>\n

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That interception he ran back for a score came in the Peach Bowl against Oregon, so Ponds proved that he can make big plays in big moments.<\/p>\n

The only downside to Moore is the fact that he’s only 5-foot-9, 170 pounds. He’s undersized and general manager Brian Gutekunst likes big cornerbacks.<\/p>\n

Does his playmaking make up for it, though? There’s a case to be made that Ponds would be a shoo-in first-round pick if he were just two inches taller, so it very well might be for the Packers.<\/p>\n

In three college seasons, his first being at James Madison, he notched 169 total tackles, seven interceptions (five at Indiana, two taken back to the house), and 33 passes defended.<\/p>\n

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That’s CB1 material right there, even at only 5-foot-9.<\/p>\n

PackersRoundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We\u2019d love to have you join us to talk all things Packers. Click the \u201cJoin\u201d button at the top of the page to join our community for free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It may feel a bit too early to start thinking about the 2026 NFL Draft, but mock draft…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":851158,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2072],"tags":[6221,766,9759,5014,6446,2184,38604,49569,7,34761,41,345,2514,2513,4725,6691,9761,31457,71,6,428,51],"class_list":{"0":"post-851157","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-green-bay-packers","8":"tag-arizona-state","9":"tag-benjamin-st-juste","10":"tag-carrington-valentine","11":"tag-crush","12":"tag-dante-moore","13":"tag-davison-igbinosun","14":"tag-derrick-moore","15":"tag-domonique-orange","16":"tag-football","17":"tag-gennings-dunker","18":"tag-green-bay","19":"tag-green-bay-packers","20":"tag-greenbay","21":"tag-greenbaypackers","22":"tag-indiana-hoosiers","23":"tag-iowa-state","24":"tag-keisean-nixon","25":"tag-malik-muhammad","26":"tag-michigan-wolverines","27":"tag-nfl","28":"tag-packers","29":"tag-texas"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116340614709079005","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=851157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/851158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=851157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=851157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=851157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}