Packers Make Surprising Pick, Add Kicker Trey Smack

Florida place-kicker Trey Smack kicks a field goal during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Missouri.

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NFL.

Not For Long.

In case you forgot this lesson, the Green Bay Packers reminded you late Saturday afternoon when they traded up and selected Florida kicker Trey Smack with the final pick of the sixth round.

Smack was the first kicker selected. And considering teams don't use draft picks on kickers to cut them, Smack will almost certainly replace incumbent Brandon McManus in 2026.

“He can hit some over 60,” one special-teams coach told golong.com. “Very good kickoff guy.”

During his last three years at Florida, Smack made 53 of 64 field goals (82.8%) and 100 of 101 extra points. He was also 10 of 13 from beyond 50 yards (76.9%) and 24 of 32 from outside of 40 yards (75.0%). a

Smack’s career long was 56 yards.

One year ago, it looked like McManus would be Green Bay’s kicker for the foreseeable future. McManus made 20-of-21 field goals and all 30 of his extra points during the 2024 regular season (95.2%), then signed a three-year, $15.3 million deal.

But McManus had a rough 2025.

Of kickers with at least 20 field goal attempts last year, McManus ranked a disappointing 24th in field goal percentage (80.0%, 24-of-30). McManus then missed both of his field goals attempts and an extra point during the Packers’ playoff meltdown vs. Chicago that ended with a 31-27 loss.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com