Without the luxury of a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers’ initial selection did not transpire until Day Two on Friday. Thursday was reserved for the first round, which meant Friday, when Rounds Two and Three took place, afforded the Packers their first chance to participate in the draft.
Green Bay followed the predictions of most draft “experts” and focused their second and third-round picks on the defensive side of the ball.
With their first selection, the 52nd overall pick, the Packers opted to pluck a cornerback, Brandon Cisse, out of South Carolina. Green Bay traded up seven spots with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to secure their third-round choice, Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan, with the 77th overall pick.
Here is an in-depth look at these players and what football people are saying about them.
Cisse is a 6-foot, 189-pound cornerback who bolted from South Carolina to the draft after his junior year. After spending his first two collegiate seasons at North Carolina State, the 20-year-old Cisse transferred to the South Carolina Gamecocks, and he instantly became a starter on the defense.
Cisse wanted to be a Gamecock out of high school, but he did not garner initial attention from the football staff. During his only season at South Carolina, Cisse made 27 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, and also forced a fumble. In pass coverage, he recorded one interception and 5 PBUs.
The pick for a cornerback was certainly a priority for the Packers in the 2026 NFL Draft. Most likely, the defensive back currently on the roster most likely to cover an opponent’s number one receiver is Carrington Valentine. While serviceable pros, Valentine and fellow veteran Keisean Nixon do not strike a tremendous amount of fear into opposing offensive coordinators.
McClellan filled another glaring need and will provide depth in the interior of the defensive line. The 22-year-old stands 6’4″ tall and checks in at a stout 324 pounds. McClellan, who began his career at Florida and finished at Missouri, played all of his football games in the tough SEC.
In his two seasons as a Missouri Tiger, McClellan played in 26 games, made 87 tackles, and recorded 8.5 sacks. At the NFL combine, he ran a 5.05 40-yard dash.
According to draftniks across the NFL, one thing is for certain about Cisse: He is an extremely athletic and explosive football player. Here is a sampling of what others are saying about the newest Packers’ cornerback and defensive lineman.
Green Bay national scout Mike Owen lives in South Carolina and was impressed with Cisse from the get-go. “You can feel that chip on his shoulder when you talk to him, about getting overlooked by South Carolina, coming full circle and then really helping his team and helping that defense elevate to a different level,” Owen said. “You could still see he’s got that chip on his shoulder. He still holds it today. I hope he carries it on as he’s in the NFL.”
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein loves Cisse’s upside and predicted a second-round slot, but he believes the Packers will need to refine the cornerback’s technique and position skills. “Teams will be willing to take a chance on Cisse’s explosive athleticism and upside,” Zierlein wrote, “but a refinement runway might be needed to smooth some of the rougher edges. He’s scheme-versatile in coverage and is an A-rated run supporter. Work ethic and athletic testing will work in his favor. However, a lack of instincts and broken anticipation could cost him in coverage against quality route runners.”
Zierlein believed McClellan was destined for a fourth or fifth-round landing spot, meaning he feels the Packers are reaching with him. “Two-year starter who is solidly proportional with adequate length,” he wrote. “McClellan is not a natural knee-bender, which limits his anchor, and he allows blockers too far into his frame too often. He has flashes where he can dominate a rep, but he will need to improve his take-on technique and hand usage to be more consistent.”
ESPN’s Matt Miller was far more effusive in his praise of Green Bay’s drafting of McClellan and Cisse. “The Packers are two-for-two in beefing up the defense in this draft, with the versatile McClellan a natural fit in a scheme that wants to move players around the defensive line,” he wrote. “McClellan fits thanks to his skills as a 1-technique, with some 3-technique upside. The key for him is learning to play with better leverage when he’s in a two-gap situation, but his quickness and disruptive abilities are easy to see. The Packers’ best interior lineman — Javon Hargrave — is 33 years old, making this a clear need.”
A decision on whether the Packers’ efforts on Day Two of the draft were successful will not be made for several years. The prospects deserve time to grow and progress, and Green Bay is not bringing them in to be immediate Pro Bowl players.
What the Packers did do was focus on the side of the ball that needed the most attention during this offseason. With four more rounds to go during Day Three on Saturday, more holes are certain to be filled with up-and-coming young talent.
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