{"id":856508,"date":"2026-04-06T07:08:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T07:08:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/856508\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T07:08:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T07:08:57","slug":"packers-mock-draft-roundup-leaves-brian-gutekunst-with-no-excuses-at-cornerback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/856508\/","title":{"rendered":"Packers mock draft roundup leaves Brian Gutekunst with no excuses at cornerback"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5f\">The Green Bay Packers <a href=\"https:\/\/lombardiave.com\/winners-losers-packers-after-first-wave-free-agency\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">addressed some positional needs in free agency<\/a>, but the work is far from over.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5i\">After all, the Packers bolstered the cornerback group with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lombardiave.com\/chargers-expert-says-what-every-packers-fan-needs-hear-benjamin-st-juste\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">signing of Benjamin St-Juste<\/a> and managed to poach defensive tackle Javon Hargrave from the Minnesota Vikings. On the other hand, none of these additions are of the game-changing type, and if Green Bay wants to keep up in the NFC North arms race, GM Brian Gutekunst will need to keep replenishing the roster.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5l\">This is precisely what the Packers do in virtually every recent mock draft.<\/p>\n<p>Most mock drafts show the Packers have different routes to reinforce the rosterThe Athletic: Keionte Scott, nickel, Miami<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5u\">Bruce Feldman of The Athletic has the Packers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7151713\/2026\/04\/01\/nfl-mock-draft-intel-coaches-scouts-agents-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">choosing cornerback Keionte Scott<\/a> at No. 52. The pick makes sense despite the arrival of Benjamin St-Juste because Green Bay could use further reinforcements at the position.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5x\">The Packers need competition at cornerback, and Scott could provide more depth at nickel. At 5-11 and 193 pounds, the former Miami Hurricane has the size and the skill set to thrive in the slot.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"60\">Scott could come in and challenge Bullard for the primary job inside, or allow Bullard to play more snaps at safety. Having said that, this is a good year to draft a nickel cornerback, so Green Bay may want to wait to select a cornerback until later rounds.<\/p>\n<p>CBS Sports: Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"66\">If Green Bay wants to add reinforcements in the perimeter rather than inside, Chris Johnson would be the ideal target. Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/nfl\/draft\/news\/nfl-three-round-mock-draft-2026-steelers-ty-simpson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">has them taking<\/a> the former San Diego State Aztec at No. 52.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"69\">Keep in mind that this <a href=\"https:\/\/lombardiave.com\/dream-packers-4-round-mock-draft-everything-jonathan-gannon-needs\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">isn&#8217;t the first time<\/a> Johnson has been connected to Green Bay prior to the draft. He would fill a need and potentially become a starter down the road. Keisean Nixon is a serviceable corner but has already reached his ceiling, while Johnson offers bigger upside.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6c\">On a related note, Green Bay fortifies the defensive trenches with Michigan&#8217;s Rayshaun Benny in Round 3 of Wilson&#8217;s mock.<\/p>\n<p>ESPN: Keith Abney II, CB, Arizona State<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6i\">By now, you can see a clear trend is starting to emerge. The consensus sees corner as a need for the Packers, and you will be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn&#8217;t think they should make upgrades at the position in the early rounds of the draft.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6l\">In his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/draft2026\/story\/_\/id\/48299038\/2026-nfl-mock-draft-seven-rounds-257-picks-projections-matt-miller#r2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">latest mock draft for ESPN<\/a>, Matt Miller has Green Bay selecting Keith Abney in Round 2. Like Johnson, Abney is a boundary corner with the versatility to also play inside.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-15\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6o\">In the following round of Miller&#8217;s mock, the Packers choose Duke offensive lineman Brian Parker, who could either challenge Jordan Morgan for the starting job at left tackle or play inside. Either way, he would give Green Bay flexibility in the trenches.<\/p>\n<p>FanSided: Lee Hunter, DL, Texas Tech<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-17\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6u\">Cornerback isn&#8217;t the only need for the Packers, as they could focus on defensive tackle early. Texas Tech&#8217;s Lee Hunter would be a fit at No. 52. Cody Williams of FanSided <a href=\"https:\/\/fansided.com\/nfl\/nfl-mock-draft-2026-full-3-round-projection-with-trades-after-the-combine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">has him going to the Packers<\/a> in the second round, discussing his athletic concerns but also praising the film he&#8217;s put out there.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-18\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6x\">In Round 3, Williams has the Packers rolling with cornerback Daylen Everette, showing that there are different ways they can address the most pressing needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Green Bay Packers addressed some positional needs in free agency, but the work is far from over.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":856509,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2072],"tags":[7,41,345,2514,2513,6,428],"class_list":{"0":"post-856508","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-green-bay-packers","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-green-bay","10":"tag-green-bay-packers","11":"tag-greenbay","12":"tag-greenbaypackers","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-packers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116356511369688375","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856508","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=856508"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856508\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/856509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=856508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=856508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=856508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}