2026 NFL Draft Team Needs & Predictions: Packers

This is the danger zone of the draft.

Picks 17 through 20 typically belong to teams that hovered around the playoff picture — competitive enough to matter, flawed enough to be exposed. And in 2026, that description fits this group perfectly.

The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, and Green Bay Packers (whose selection now belongs to the Dallas Cowboys following the Micah Parsons trade) all enter draft weekend with real expectations — but also very real roster pressure points.

These aren’t teardown teams. They’re close.

But “close” in the NFL can mean very different things. For some, it’s about fixing a defense that couldn’t get off the field in January. For others, it’s about offensive consistency, depth in the trenches, or long-term answers at premium positions.

This range is often where teams must decide: double down on a strength or patch a weakness?

With veteran contracts maturing, cap flexibility tightening, and playoff windows narrowing, these selections carry more urgency than rebuilding picks at the top of the board. Miss here, and you stay stuck in the middle. Hit, and you’re hosting a playoff game next January.

In this batch, we break down:

• The biggest roster holes for each franchise
• Contract situations and future cap implications
• Which positions should be prioritized for veterans and rookies
• Potential fantasy football implications

These teams are close enough to contend — but not complete enough to coast.

Up next: the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, and the Dallas Cowboys (via Green Bay’s selection).

Salary cap contract information provided by Spotrac.

• Fantasy Football Research & Advice
• Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
• 2026 NFL Mock Drafts
• Fantasy Football Trade Tools
• NFL Team Needs: Raiders, Jets, Cardinals, Titans (2026)
• NFL Team Needs: Giants, Browns, Commanders, Saints (2026)
• NFL Team Needs: Chiefs, Bengals, Dolphins, Cowboys (2026)
• NFL Team Needs: Falcons, Ravens, Buccaneers, Colts (2026)
• NFL Team Needs: Lions, Vikings, Panthers, Packers (2026)
• NFL Team Needs: Steelers, Chargers, Eagles, Jaguars (2026)

Pick 20: Green Bay Packers

Team Needs: OL, C, DT, CB, LB, EDGE

Tucker Kraft ranked as the TE1 through 8 weeks (14 PPG). TE2 in PPG. Lead all TEs in YAC/reception. Kraft was a ‘my guy’ the last two seasons, and all he did was deliver before he tore his ACL. But I wouldn’t completely write off the 25-year-old freak athlete after the season-ending injury. Recall that Packers WR Christian Watson came back in 2025 after a very late ACL injury. He received an All-Pro vote. With no complications in Kraft’s surgery, a 2026 Week 1 return isn’t out of the question based on the 10-month recovery timeline.

So with Luke Musgrave still under contract, I think GB stays pat at tight end.

Jordan Love is really efficient. He finished second in the NFL in 2025 in EPA/dropback.

But GB’s commitment to the run (4th-highest rush rate, 8th-lowest pass rate over expectation) hurt his fantasy appeal. Losing his No. 1 playmaker last year with Kraft also hurt his fantasy numbers (17.8 PPG, QB14). If GB leans more into their franchise QB/pass game with a strong supporting cast in 2026, we could very much see Love post an MVP-statistical season with strong passing TD rates. One game with Christian Watson and Tucker Kraft last season…the Packers QB tossed for 360 yards and 3 TDs.

But it won’t be the same cast of characters. WR Romeo Doubs is easily gone in free agency (why they drafted Matthew Golden last year).

Then there’s the curious case of…. Is Josh Jacobs a cut candidate? Probably very unlikely even after a bit of a down year.

Weeks 1-10: Jacobs was the fantasy RB5 in PPG (18.1) with 11 rushing TDs. Then he suffered a knee injury in Week 11. Once he returned in Week 13, he was clearly not himself. RB23 in PPG (10.5). 12 PPG (RB21) from Week 7 onward after hurting his calf.

Ended the season as RB11 in PPG (14.3). The Packers RB fell just shy of 1,000 rushing yards despite 254 carries, taking a step back in his second season with Green Bay. If healthy, Jacobs has a top-5 fantasy ceiling. But as the 28-year-old continues to pile up volume and small injuries, fantasy managers should be wary of the production tapering off.

However, with MarShawn Lloyd unable to stay healthy, a capable Jacobs should remain the focal point of the Packers’ rushing attack. But with how Emanuel Wilson showed out at times…it’s possible Jacobs’ reps get pulled back in 2026. Again, he battled through a myriad of injuries (calf, knee) just to play even when he was clearly not anywhere close to 100% (if that).

I do think GB will add to this backfield at some point this offseason (to add more explosiveness). How much they shell out for Wilson as an RFA will also tell of how they view him (and Lloyd entering Year 3).

Christian Watson returned to the lineup in Week 8 after tearing his ACL late in the 2024 season. Despite coming off a brutal injury, Watson was electric. He supplanted Doubs as the WR1 in the Packers’ offense, and I presume that’s how it shakes out in 2026. Watson was the WR17 in PPG (11.5) to go with a 34% air yard share (over 1,000 air yards). Hit career highs in yards and yards per route run. Never saw fewer than four targets in any contest. Watson led the NFL with 294 deep receiving yards after coming back from his injury.

The Packers will have to decide what they want to do with Watson and Jayden Reed in the long term; both wideouts are in contract years.

Green Bay’s offensive line dealt with several injuries in 2025. They were particularly poor when RT Zach Tom missed time to end the season. And two of their tackles from last season are free agents (Rasheed Walker started at LT for 17 games). Possibly the team kicks Jordan Morgan outside from guard to tackle.

C/OG Elgton Jenkins is also in the last year of his deal and is coming off a lower-leg fracture with ligament damage. He will be 30 in December.

Defensively, the Packers also got nuked by injuries. Edge Micah Parsons, CB Nate Hobbs, and DT Devonte Wyatt all ended 2025 on IR. Now they are expected to return in 2026, but the level of effectiveness remains to be seen.

Losing Wyatt took a toll on the defensive interior, and he is also in the last year of his rookie deal. Per PFF, Green Bay’s defensive tackles ranked 31st in PFF run-defense grade (30.6), contributing to the fourth-most rushing yards allowed between the tackles in the NFL.

The pass rush is going to need help to start the year, with Parsons likely far from 100% when he returns. The team also needs to figure out an upgrade plan for Rashan Gary if they decide to move on.

Matt Schneidman says he would be surprised if Gary is on the team next season. Also a strong advocate for them to go CB on Day 2 of the draft.

CB Keisean Nixon is in the last year of his deal, along with Carrington Valentine. So, more CB depth would be advised. Also, it’s fair to acknowledge the Packers’ cornerbacks as one of their defense’s big weaknesses before the injuries derailed the front seven. Definitely an area they won’t forego looking for upgraded personnel.

Jonathan Gannon was hired as the team’s new DC after he got fired as the Cardinals’ HC. He has obvious ties to his old team and the Eagles, so any of their defensive free agents could easily find their way to Wisconsin.

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