Packers tried to trade up for Dani Dennis-Sutton during 2026 draft

Packers tried to trade up for Dani Dennis-Sutton during 2026 draft

A nugget to file away from the 2026 NFL draft: The Green Bay Packers attempted to trade back into the third round to get Penn State edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton, who was eventually the team's selection at No. 120 overall in the fourth round.

On Friday night of the draft, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst admitted he tried to get back into the third round after moving up to take Chris McClellan at No. 77 overall. After making his four final picks on Saturday, including Dennis-Sutton at No. 120, Gutekunst confirmed the former Penn State star was the target of the Packers' attempted trade ups on Friday night.

"It was, yup," Gutekunst said.

Fortunately for the Packers, Dennis-Sutton lasted 19 picks into the fourth round and allowed the Packers to get him at 120.

Many draft analysts saw Dennis-Sutton as a top-70 player and likely second- or third-round pick. Many have since picked his selection by the Packers at No. 120 as one of the better "values" of the draft class.

The Packers saw in Dennis-Sutton what many outside observers liked: Production, athleticism and potential at the next level.

"First of all, his production is really, really good. His size, his speed. He's got so much in front of him as far as his best football goes. He's an elite athlete for a guy who is almost 6-6, who played around 265," Gutekunst said. "His ability to come off the edge and rush the passer, affect the passer. He can bull rush. He can win with speed. His length affects the passer. He can set edges. He's got a lot to offer, and a lot of good football in front of him."

Dennis-Sutton produced 34.5 tackles for loss, 23.5 sacks (sixth-most in school history), seven forced fumbles, 10 pass breakups and two interceptions. PFF credited him with 147 total pressures and 80 stops, or a tackle creating a failure for the offense.

Dennis-Sutton was just another example of the Packers aggressively targeting a player they loved in the 2026 draft.

In a six-player draft class, the Packers ended up taking a player they did not think would be available at 52 (Brandon Cisse), a player they considered in the second round and ended up trading up to get (McClellan), a player they attempted to trade up for in the third round (Dennis-Sutton) and a player they traded up to get in the sixth round (kicker Trey Smack).