The Green Bay Packers snag speedy South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse at No. 52. His athleticism and toughness offer immediate impact potential for Green Bay's defense.
The Green Bay Packers have selected South Carolina Gamecocks cornerback Brandon Cisse with the No. 52 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
It took us a while to get here. Heck, the Packers didn't even have to show up for the first round.
They also had to wait for 19 other picks to happen in the second round, but one would think they have to feel like their guy dropped right into their laps.
General manager Brian Gutekunst undoubtedly knew there was a need at Corneback. In Cisse, he found a player who can fill that need immediately as a rookie.
Heck, there's a case to be made that Cisse could be CB1 in Green Bay sooner rather than later. The bar is not that high, of course. Keisean Nixon likes to talk the CB1 talk, but he'd be much better as a CB2 and especailly as a CB3. Carrington Valentine has shown flashes, but he's a former seventh-round pick and tends to get burned.
The one downside for Cisse is that he's a bit small at just 5-foot-11, 189 pounds. There was a time when the Packers wouldn't have selected a cornerback under 6-foot.
With that said, there are a ton of reasons to like Cisse.
First is his speed. He ran a 4.41 40 at his Pro Day. Keep in mind, Christian Watson is considered one of the fasted players in the NFL and he ran a 4.36 40. In Cisse, the Packers are getting a cornerback who will be able to keep up with the fastest wideouts on Green Bay's schedule.
Cisse's athleticism will him him plenty of passes defended and he's also known as a hard-nosed defender when it comes to getting down near the line of scrimmage and tackling.
The Packers have needed toughness over the last few seasons and they're getting that in Cisse. He can also contribute quickly on special teams because of his speed, but don't count him out as an immediate contributor for the defense as a rookie.
It's the raw talent and athleticism that undoubtedly won the Packers over. We know Gutekunst loves finding himself an elite athlete.
"Cisse is an unrefined, promising cover athlete with the twitched-up movements and speed to become an NFL starter, wrote Dane Brugler in The Beast. "However, his pro ceiling will be determined by the development of his route recognition and ball skills. He offers inside-outside versatility with special teams (gunner) upside."
ESPN ranked Cisse as the No. 5 cornerback in the draft and the No. 38 prospect overall. That's not a bad pickup at all for pick No. 52.
Last season for the Gamecocks, Cisse notched 27 tackles, five passes defended, one forced fumble and an interception.
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