With a $200,000 guarantee and versatile Big Ten experience, Illinois standout Josh Gesky emerges as a prime candidate to bolster the Green Bay Packers' interior line and join its storied history.
The Green Bay Packers brought in six players in the 2027 NFL Draft.
It was a small class, undoubtedly, but there was a reason for that. The Packers didn't have a first round pick in this draft because they traded it (and next year's) away to the Dallas Cowboys for the right to trade for and pay Micah Parsons.
Outside of the torn ACL, which may have derailed the Packers' Super Bowl hopes last season, it was a trade that worked out well for Green Bay. Few Packers fans, if any, were upset with the lack of a first round pick in 2026.
General Manager Brian Gutekunst also traded away two of his picks in this past draft.
He traded up in the third round to draft defensive tackle Chris McClellan. That cost the Packers one of their two fifth-round picks. He also traded two seventh-round picks away to sneak into the end of the sixth round to select Florida kicker Trey Smack.
The end result was a six person class, which was the smallest in the Gutekunst era.
It's a small class, but a potentially mightily one. With that said, the Packers could use all the help they can get as they try to take a run at the Super Bowl in 2026 and beyond, so that means everyone who straps on a green and gold helmet could potentially be important.
That includes the 10 undrafted free agents Gutekunst brought in after the draft: Guard Dylan Barrett, quarterback Kyron Drones, guard Josh Gesky, EDGE Nyjalik Kelly, safety Murvin Kenion, tight end RJ Maryland, running back Jaden Nixon, linebacker TJ Quinn, wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant and guard Dillon Wade.
Life in the NFL is tough for UDFA's, but the Packers have a long and rich tradition of finding players who weren't drafted who end up belonging in the league. In recent memory, we're talking about players like Sam Shields, Tramon Williams and John Kuhn.
Could an impact player be in this 2026 UDFA class for the Packers?
Any one of them could hit, but notably, beat reporter Zach Kruse is keeping an eye out Gesky out of Illinois.
Green Bay Packers Karsen Barnhart (61), Josh Gesky (76), Dain Walter (64), and Dylan Barrett (74) arrive during rookie minicamp Friday, May 1 2026, at the Don Hutson Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. © Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images."The Packers brought him in on a 30 visit and paid him a $200,000 base salary guarantee, signaling their interest in the player," Kruse recently wrote. "I also believe there's a real opportunity for one of these rookie offensive linemen to make the roster."
The Packers had a big need on the interior of the offensive line heading into this offseason. They spent pick No. 153 (Round 5) on Jager Burton out of Kentucky who was a starting SEC center who could also play either guard spot. He could end up being an answer to some of Green Bay's questions on the interior, but let's not count out Gesky either.
Gesky checks in at 6-foot-5, 308 pounds and he was an honorable All-Big Ten mention in three-straight seasons from 2023 to 2025. He can play either guard position, and he had a great Pro Day, which showed off his athleticism.
Not only did he show up to his Pro Day trimmed down 20 pounds, but he had a vertical leap of 33 inches, a broad jump of 9-foot-1 and put up 30 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. That would have ranked fourth amongst participants at the NFL combine.
"I wanted to obviously show how fast I am here, so I'm a little bit lighter now. I'm able to move," Gesky told Illini Inquirer. "I'm able to show I can play at 308, I'm able to play at 330. Whatever teams need me at, I'm going to be able to go out there and show them I can do it."
That Pro Day undoubtedly played a role in the Packers picking up Gesky after the draft. Now, he may have the best chance of any of Green Bay's UDFA's of making the initial 53-man roster.
Kruse certainly thinks it's possible.
"Finding an undrafted free agent fit is always an exercise is combining ability and opportunity," he wrote. "I think Gesky is pro ready, and the Packers have roster spots open on the interior offensive line.
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