Texas Longhorns DB Malik Muhammad emerges as a potential day two cornerback solution for the Green Bay Packers, bringing playmaking prowess from SEC play.
It may feel a bit too early to start thinking about the 2026 NFL Draft, but mock draft season will be upon us before you know it. In fact, for many fans, mock draft season started the minute the Green Bay Packers' 2025 season ended.
A lot is going to happen between now and April 23rd, when the draft kicks off in Pittsburgh. Right now, the Packers don't have a first-round pick, and they'll start their selections with pick No. 52, which is in the second round.
Not having a first-rounder in the 2026 and 2027 NFL Drafts was part of the price the Packers paid for getting Micah Parsons. They gave a lot to get a lot back in return, and that's just part of the reality general manager Brian Gutekunst will have to work with unless he's able to swing another trade and somehow get back into the first round.
So who should the Packers target in Round 2 and beyond? There are going to be a ton of names thrown around and many of them will be great picks.
Previous Green Bay Packers 2026 NFL Draft Previews:
Iowa offensive lineman Genning Dunker:
Iowa State defensive lineman Domonique Orange:
Getting to know Texas Longhorns defensive back Malik Muhammad
Texas Longhorns defensive back Malik Muhammad (5) celebrates an interception intended for Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Deion Burks (4) in the first half of the Red River Rivalry college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorn at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. © SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.The Packers desperately need help at cornerback in 2026. Keisean Nixon thinks he's a CB1, but the reality is that he is not. Carrington Valentine is a nice surprise for a seventh-rounder, but he's not reliable. Nate Hobbs was injured for much of 2025 and may never be the player the Packers thought he could be as a free agent.
What that means is the Packers should think long and hard about drafting a player in Round 2 who could become a CB1 for this team, and Malik Muhammad out of Texas is an intriguing target in that regard.
Muhammad played in 41 games over three seasons for Texas. He finished his college career with 97 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, and three interceptions. Two of those interceptions came during the 2025 season. In fact, they came in the same game, the Red River Rivalry matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners:
Muhammad also tallied four passes defended in 2025 (16 over three seasons).
He's a play-maker and he played SEC football, which is a huge plus when you're evaluating skill position defenders.
Muhammad is a player who could be a really intriguing fit for Green Bay, with perhaps the only downside (from the Packers' perspective) being his size. He's 6-foot, 188 pounds, and you'd imagine the Packers would prefer to take a second-round cornerback who is closer to 6-foot-1. With that said, Jaire Alexander was listed as 5-foot-11 coming out of Louisville, Nixon is 5-foot-10, and Valentine is listed at 6-foot-even, so it's probably not that big of a deal.
Getting Muhammad in the second or third round would be just fine for the Packers value-wise, so keep an eye on him come day two.
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