Packers take one of the top CBs in 2026 draft class

The Green Bay Packers got one of the top cornerbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft with the selection of Brandon Cisse with the 52nd overall pick.

"Smart, tough, physical corner, good foot quickness and can run," Mike Owen, a national scout for the Packers, said. "There’s a lot to like, and he’s wired right."

A former three-star recruit and former track athlete, Cisse finished his career at South Carolina with 12 pass deflections and two interceptions.

Cisse is an outstanding athlete. He posted a 41-inch vertical and a 10-11 broad jump. He also clocked a 4.41 40-yard dash at South Carolina's Pro Day.

At 5-11, with nearly 32-inch arms, Cisse is a good-sized athlete. He plays with controlled footwork and his smooth in his pedal. He has good route recognition, and has good short-area quickness and is explosive driving on the ball. He opens his hips early and has the long speed to stay attached on a vertical plane. Cisse is aware in coverage and does a good job of reading the wide receiver’s eyes to time up his punch.

"Cisse is a hyper-elite athlete who thrives particularly in the short and intermediate ranges with effervescent foot speed, corrective twitch, reactive athleticism, and volcanic burst over top route breaks in click-and-close," Ian Cummings, an NFL Draft analyst for Pro Football Sports Network, said. "He also has high-end natural reactive quickness and processing ability in man coverage, and while over-aggression can leave him susceptible to double-moves and 2-on-1 scenarios, his combined reactive quickness and rare athletic recovery potential can be molded into an elite coverage ceiling."

Cisse is a willing participant in run support and enjoys crashing downhill to chop down ball carriers near or behind the line of scrimmage. He has a high batting average as a tackler and was only tagged with five missed tackles this past season. He recorded 26 stops during his final two seasons at South Carolina.

"Cisse holds up extremely well in run support, and it's an element of his profile that supports a potential projection inside to a hybrid-nickel slot," Cummings said. "He sports a quick trigger and terrifying closing burst over the top outside runs and screens, he's a relentless competitor with excellent physicality and take-on technique in spite of his middling size, he's more than willing to execute crack-and-replace plays, and at his best, he's a very real tackle for loss threat."