Packers have clear replacement plan in place after 2nd-round draft pick

Packers have clear replacement plan in place after 2nd-round draft pick originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Green Bay Packers entered the 2025 season with what looked to be a very weak cornerback depth chart.

That played itself out during the campaign, and they set out to improve this offseason.

First, they dove into the free agent pool to sign Benjamin St-Juste.

Then, they drafted Brandon Cisse out of South Carolina in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft -- and that was the Packers' first pick they made in the proceedings, so clearly it was a priority.

A big part of the plan, writes ESPN's Ben Solak, is to find a way to have Carrington Valentine on the field less.

"The Packers are notoriously patient with rookies, and Cisse is far from a finished product. South Carolina rotated its corners, and Cisse often didn't play full games, even in his final season," Solak wrote in a new article on Wednesday. "But the most favored outcome in the Packers' cornerbacks room is certainly Cisse winning the job over Valentine, who surrendered a passer rating of 126.1 when targeted last season. Only five outside cornerbacks were worse."

MORE:Shilo Sanders under fire for telling female reporter to 'make a sandwich'

The modern NFL calls for good cornerback play, and it also often requires teams to have more than just the traditional two CBs to really slow down opposing passing attacks.

The Packers didn't have that last season, but the hope is that they do now.

"Even if Cisse doesn't win the starting job outright, I would not be surprised to see him enter a rotation with Valentine (and St-Juste)," Solak writes. "Valentine struggles more with larger receivers, and Cisse and St-Juste should match up better."

Green Bay just snuck into the playoffs in 2025. If the Packers get improved play in the secondary, maybe they can be more convincing as a true contender in 2026.

More NFL news:

• Saints still have an Alvin Kamara decision to make
• What's going on with Aaron Rodgers and the Cardinals?
• Eagles might have a DeVonta Smith problem
• Patriots give another A.J. Brown signal
• From Falcons to Cardinals, Tyler Allgeier can't catch a break