The Green Bay Packers target a foundational offensive lineman and a physical cornerback early, addressing major needs with potential starters right out of the gate in a new 2026 NFL Mock Draft.
The Green Bay Packers have some major needs that they should look to fill in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Will they be able to fill them all? That's never going to be the case. No team can do that. Even teams with multiple picks in the Top 100, like the New York Jets, for instance, will have a hard time hitting on every pick and filling every need.
It's a crap-shoot, and that's why we like the NFL Draft, isn't it? There's a ton of hype and buildup to what basically equates to a league-wide gambling experience.
Could the Packers crush their first two picks in the draft and do a ton of damage to some gaping holes in the process, though?
It's absolutely possible.
Green Bay kicks off the selections with pick No. 52 (20th overall in Round 2) and then will get another chance within the Top 100 at pick No. 84 (20th overall in Round 2).
These selections could really go any way at this point, but Matt Schneidman over at The Athletic has mocked a one-two punch for the Pack that would take care of two massive needs straightaway on the offensive line and at cornerback.
At No. 52, Schneidman is mocking Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Gennings Dunker to the Packers.
"Dunker primarily played right tackle at Iowa for offensive coordinator Tim Lester, a former Packers senior analyst, but he’s projected as a guard with starting potential in the NFL," wrote Schneidman. "The Packers require their reserve offensive linemen to be able to play at least three spots, and Dunker can do that while growing into a starting-caliber player."
At No. 84, he has the Packers selecting Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Davison Igbinosun.
Two hard-nosed selections for the Green Bay Packers in 2026 NFL Draft
Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Davison Igbinosun (1) celebrates a tackle of Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Fame Ijeboi (7) during the second half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Oct. 4, 2025. Ohio State won 42-3. © Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.If this is the way the board shakes out for the Green Bay Packers, fans would have a right to be thrilled.
The Packers are a team that has consistently had talent in the Matt LaFleur era, but they've lacked a certain physicality and toughness. These two picks back-to-back would not only infuse talent at two major positions of need, but you don't get much tougher than these two Big Ten standouts.
"With his red-haired mullet and brute strength, Dunker is described by his teammates as a Paul Bunyan-like folk hero," Dane Brugler wrote in The Beast. "And that demeanor translates to the field in his point-of-attack strength and old-school toughness (he doesn’t wear gloves or tape on his hands)."
It's not just not wearing gloves or tape, though. Speaking of tape, Dunker's physicality and toughness show up all over the tape.
Just watch:
Then there's Igbinosun, a three-year starter at Ohio State.
He checks in at 6-foot-2, 189 pounds, which is great size for a corner. The Packers love size at cornerback.
Igbinosun also knows how to use that size. He led the Buckeyes in passes defended and interceptions in both his junior and senior seasons. And yes, he was flagged 16 times in coverage during that span, so he's been downgraded a bit in this draft because he is a bit handsy.
When you're looking for toughness at the line of scrimmage and the ability to put a body on wide receivers early on in the route, Igbinosun is that guy, though. Notably, his coverage flags also dropped from 12 in 2024 to just four in 2025.
With all that said, walking away with Dunker and Igbinosun in the Top 100 would be massive for the Packers.
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