The Green Bay Packers are betting big on a rookie kicker. Can Trey Smack overcome early inconsistencies and become Green Bay's next great kicker?
We're officially 34 days from the start of the 2026 NFL season for the Green Bay Packers. Whether you're ready or not, football season is here.
The Packers kick off their 2026 season against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 13, from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Talk about pressure. The Vikings are certainly in a transitional place as a franchise, but getting going against an NFC North foe ratchets up the intensity of this season from the get-go.
It's a big season for the Packers. There's a belief that they're in a Super Bowl window right now, which means every single game is important. That means the intensity will be there in Week 2 at MetLife Stadium against the New York Jets and it will certainly be there in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons, when the Packers will play at Lambeau Field for the first time in 2026.
There's going to be a lot of proverbial ink spilled on this 2026 season and we here at PackersRoundtable hope that you spend as much time as possible with us talking about the ins and outs and ups and downs of the Packers.
As we prepare for the 2026 season, though, we're going to kick things off with a rankings series looking at the Top 50 Packers heading into the 2025 season.
At No. 34, we have kicker Trey Smack
Ranking the Top 50 Packers Heading Into 2026: No. 34, Trey Smack
USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectThe Packers are putting high expectations on several rookies this season, but perhaps no rookie will be under more pressure than kicker Trey Smack.
Green Bay not only selected Smack in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but General Manager Brian Gutekunst traded away a pick to go up and get him.
After spending four seasons with the Florida Gators kicking in big SEC games, Smack was considered the top kicking prospect on the board.
The Packers were looking to replace veteran Brandon McManus, who missed several important kicks in 2025, but they've officially cleared the decks for Smack. He's the only kicker in camp right now. Green Bay cut Lucas Havrisik, who set the franchise record for longest field goal made last season with a 61-yarder. They even cut Lenny Krieg, who they had signed to replace Havrisik in camp.
Smack is going unopposed, which means the Packers are content to put all their eggs in the rookie's basket.
The problem? He's been inconsistent during OTAs and so far in training camp.
Smack missed five kicks in the first week of practice, though he did make 6-of-7 in front of nearly 60,000 fans at Lambeau Field this past weekend at Family Night
"It's good, definitely built a little bit of confidence up tonight," Smack said, per Mike Spofford of the team website. "But we can always kick better."
2025 Synopsis:
Kicking at Florida, Smack made 18-of-22 field goals with a long field goal of 56 yards. He made 5-of-6 kicks from 50-plus yards and made 27-of-28 extra point attempts.
Notable Quotables:
“I just think it's going to be a work in progress. I mean, this is not our first time with a rookie kicker, so I know that there's going to be some good, and I know there's going to be some that he's going to want to have back, and I think that's just all part of the learning process." - Matt LaFleur
Projected Role in 2026:
Pending a meltdown during the preseason games, the Packers are going to roll with Smack as their main kicker and they're going to give him every chance to figure out how to kick in the NFL and take advantage of his big leg. The hope is that he'll quickly adapt and stick around in Green Bay for the next 10-plus seasons, but at this juncture, the Packers would happily take an uneventful rookie season. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves at kicker.
Previous Rankings:
