The Georgia pipeline continues as 315-pound defensive tackle Waren Brinson enters a high-stakes season. After flashes of pass-rushing dominance as a rookie, Brinson aims to anchor the Green Bay Packers' defensive line depth.
We're officially 38 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. 38, we have defensive tackle Warren Brinson
Ranking the Top 50 Packers Heading Into 2026: No. 38, Warren Brinson
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.Another Georgia defensive tackle. Stop us if you've heard this before. General manager Brian Gutekunst clearly has a type on the defensive line.
For interior defensive linemen, the type is big and able to get after the quarterback. If you played football for the Georgia Bulldogs, even better.
Brinson spent four seasons at UGA before the Packers selected him in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He's a big dude at 6-foot-5, 315 pounds, and last season as a rookie, he showed flashes of being able to get after the quarterback and get into the backfield.
Sure, he notched just one sack (or one half-sack, per ESPN), but he played only 273 total snaps. He also notched nine "hurries", one quarterback hit, and one "stuff" in those snaps.
Per PFF, Brinson had the second-highest pass-rushing grade amongst interior defensive defenders at 66.8.
There's reason to believe he still has plenty of upside that has yet to be tapped by the Packers.
2025 Synopsis:
In nine games, Brinson totaled 13 tackles, one sack (considered a half-sack by ESPN), nine hurries, one quarterback hit and one stuff. He was given an overall grade of 42.8 per PFF, so there's undoubtedly plenty of room for improvement.
Notable Quotables:
"After a rookie season that didn’t amount to much, Brinson could already be on the hot seat entering 2026. Now, the Packers may have quietly sounded the alarm for a player who may need a strong offseason to make the team." - Chris Schad
Projected Role in 2026:
We may be higher on Brinson than most here at Packers Roundtable because he combines size and pass-rushing ability. There's also his UGA pedigree to consider. Ultimately, his upside should lead him to being an important depth piece for the Packers on the interior of the defensive line in 2026.
Previous Rankings:
