3 Winners and 3 Losers From the Packers’ 2026 Draft
The 2026 NFL Draft changed the status of several Packers players.
By markoldacres
The draft always has a knock on effect for existing veterans on NFL teams, and the Packers are no different, with the prospects of some players’ futures in Green Bay fluctuating based on the picks Brian Gutekunst made at the end of April.
Here are three winners and three losers from the outcome of the 2026 NFL Draft:
Winner - MarShawn Lloyd
We all know Lloyd’s tenure in Green Bay has been immensely frustrating, as his NFL career has not gotten off the ground due to a slew of injuries.
It would have been understandable if the Packers added another running back in this year’s draft to act as insurance if Lloyd once again gets hit by the injury bug, or to compete with him even if he is healthy.
No pick was made at the position, meaning as long as Lloyd is available, he has the clear path to snaps as second fiddle behind Josh Jacobs, with Chris Brooks serving as a reliable, if unspectacular 3rd down back. Is this finally Lloyd’s year?
Winner - Savion Williams
The easy answer here would be Matthew Golden, but everyone knew he was set for a big uptick in playing time in 2026 regardless of what happened on draft weekend, especially after Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks already left town via free agency and trade respectively.
But with Golden, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed (who received a contract extension during draft weekend) cemented as the top three receivers in Green Bay’s passing attack, it was important for Williams’ prospects in 2026 that the Packers did not add any other receivers to the mix.
They did not, and that means Williams should be the first receiver off the bench in his second season, as well as no doubt getting touches of the ball every game in a gadget capacity. If he can enjoy a more healthy 2026 campaign, Williams could become more of a real part of the offense.
Winner - Ty’Ron Hopper
Another former 3rd round pick looking to see more playing time is Hopper, who has been used very sparingly on defense in his first two seasons in the league.
His chances of an increase in snaps have not been helped by the change to a 3-4 defense, but if the Packers had drafted a linebacker early – and there were several players who went on day two that seemed very much their type – the writing would have been on the wall for his future.
While he may still face an uphill battle to get on the field, competing with Edgerrin Cooper, Zaire Franklin, and Isaiah McDuffie for what will realistically be only two spots, the light is at least being left on for Hopper.
Loser - Jacob Monk
Monk played some snaps at the end of last season and seemed to impress the coaching staff, but the drafting of Jager Burton in the 5th round could put his roster status in jeopardy.
Like Monk, Burton is another center/guard swing player taken on day three. Before that pick was made, Monk had the inside track to the backup center position, but he will now face real competition for it.
Perhaps both players end up being kept, as the Packers saw at the end of last season what it can look like when you run out of centers, but entering his third season, it feels like make or break time for Monk.
Loser - Brenton Cox Jr.
The EDGE position in Green Bay was already pretty crowded before they drafted Dani Dennis-Sutton, a rookie who was expected to be drafted much earlier in the 4th round.
Micah Parsons’ injury may help Cox stick on the initial 53, but once he returns, the Packers will have Parsons, Dennis-Sutton, Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver, all of whom the team has some kind of investment in.
Cox does not contribute on special teams, and once Parsons is back, they might need to reallocate his roster spot even if he does make the roster to begin the season. He needs to have a strong summer.
Loser - Carrington Valentine
Valentine has had his ups and downs as a Packer, but overall has been a successful 7th round pick, giving the team quality reps at times. However, entering a contract year and coming off a disappointing season, the team drafted two corners, including one in the 2nd round.
Keisean Nixon still seems a good bet to start, and Benjamin St-Juste, Brandon Cisse and Domani Jackson all have contracts at least through 2027, meaning Green Bay is more incentivized to give them as much run as they can.
Unless Valentine suddenly takes a huge jump as a tackler entering this season, he is unlikely to have much access to a starting position unless injuries occur.
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Mark Oldacres is a sports writer from Birmingham, England and a Green Bay Packers fan. You can follow him on twitter at @MarkOldacres
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Comments (20)
stockholder
May 18, 2026 at 10:30 am
I don't see any losers.
Competition is good for everyone.
Someone will get injured.
Valentine continues to beat the odds.
Bet the dolphins will take him off are hands.
BuckyBadger
May 18, 2026 at 01:44 pm
Every draft ushers in new players and puts current players on thin ice. I am surprised some actually show up to announce picks. Players usually have a far different view of the draft than the fans.
jannesbjornson
May 18, 2026 at 04:13 pm
I'll put my money on Cisse and Jackson to show.
splitpea1
May 18, 2026 at 10:32 am
Now our three winners have to prove it on the field. Lloyd can have the biggest impact if he actually manages to get there and stay there... Hopper had a really good preseason last year, and at least the coaching staff did get him some defensive snaps finally. In addition, he did have that big interception in the playoff, so it was nice to see one of our LBs able to catch the ball. There might be some light at the end of the tunnel here... With Williams, I'm not sure quite to expect: he actually had the same number of rushing attempts and reception attempts. But we know he can catch the ball. He only averaged a little more than three yards per rushing attempt, though, so maybe we ought to be using someone else if we insist on doing those sweeps.
Gute has a chance to increase his batting average in the third round with these three. So far his only real hit has been Kraft.
Guam
May 18, 2026 at 10:37 am
I agree with 5 of the 6 assessments, but I don't understand Brenton Cox as a loser. Yes the Packers drafted DDS, but they traded Gary and let Enagbare go in free agency. So subtracting two veteran edges and adding one rookie edge means Cox has a reduced opportunity? I'm not seeing the logic. I expect Cox to have a greater opportunity this year as there are a lot of veteran snaps that need to be replaced.
golfpacker61
May 18, 2026 at 11:26 am
Well said Guam. I would even argue that Cox, when healthy and given the chance, has been way more productive than LVN especially with limited snaps. GB has a much bigger commitment with LVN, but if Cox is better then he should play. At this point I see Oliver as more likely to see less chances than Cox.
Guam
May 18, 2026 at 11:44 am
Physically Oliver is more a LB than an Edge. I suspect he may be a third down pass rush specialist more than an every down player which is why I think Cox could be a big winner rather than a loser.
Coldworld
May 18, 2026 at 12:38 pm
If Cox is healthy, by the start of the season it’s not inconceivable that he’s seen as our primary threat to the QB. If so, or even close, he won’t get cut when Parsons returns. That would be insane: no team cuts rushers who produce. They are too rare, as we well know. It’s worth noting that he was getting snaps in the season opener last year, before exiting early in the third quarter with the groin injury that sent him to IR.
LambeauPlain
May 19, 2026 at 10:08 am
Cox, along with Sorrell, are both going to surprise and make it difficult for Gannon and Covington to keep them off the field. DDS will get his chances to contribute, and he will.
But this camp is for Cox, Jr. and Sorrell to shine. And when they do, lots of smiles from Packers fans, especially when Parsons only misses a few September games.
GregC
May 18, 2026 at 10:57 am
I agree with four of the six assessments, but listing Cox here is iffy at best (see Guam's comment above), and I don't think Ty'Ron Hopper belongs here at all. Of course it's good for him that they did not draft a LB, but that wasn't expected anyway, and any benefit is more than canceled out by the switch to a 3-4 defense (eliminating one of the LBs in the base defense) and the trade for Zaire Franklin, which immediately replaced Quay Walker and demonstrated management's complete lack of confidence in Hopper's ability to be a starting LB. As a 3rd round pick, Hopper should have been Walker's replacement.
I think Savion Williams is the biggest winner. Whether he can take advantage of the opportunity is anybody's guess.
Guam
May 18, 2026 at 11:49 am
I think Hopper's win is he gets to stay on the roster. He certainly hasn't demonstrated he is ready to replace Walker/Franklin. And as you well pointed out, for a third round pick, that is not a vote of confidence.
Coldworld
May 18, 2026 at 01:20 pm
Hopper is not a Mike. That’s his problem. He’s stuck behind Cooper. He’s a smaller body (sub 230) who can cover. Maybe we see him situationally this year, but if Cooper is healthy, that’s probably it. It’s a stretch to see him replacing Franklin if he misses snaps unless it’s an obvious passing heavy situation or he’s added significant functional mass. Presumably that’s why we held on to McDuffie.
jannesbjornson
May 18, 2026 at 04:28 pm
Hopper will replace Franklin as the cover backer in nickel sets, allowing Cooper to pressure the QB. Cooper was not being used effectively in 2024. I expect Sorrell to make some noise.
BuckyBadger
May 18, 2026 at 01:50 pm
"The EDGE position in Green Bay was already pretty crowded before they drafted Dani Dennis-Sutton, a rookie who was expected to be drafted much earlier in the 4th round."
Was it? AS eluded to above they had two of their top 4 guys walk. The more film I watch on DDS the more I can see why he fell in the draft. He had a lot of mechanical issues at Penn St and for someone who scored high on the RAS he didn't look that athletic when asked to change directions. He is a project with upside but I think he will mostly contribute on ST his first season or two.
golfpacker61
May 18, 2026 at 04:16 pm
"Was it? AS eluded to above they had two of their top 4 guys walk. The more film I watch on DDS the more I can see why he fell in the draft. He had a lot of mechanical issues at Penn St and for someone who scored high on the RAS he didn't look that athletic when asked to change directions. He is a project with upside but I think he will mostly contribute on ST his first season or two."
Really Bucky? I must have watched different highlights than you did. I saw a very athletic 6'6 260 lbs man who had his way with teams. He isn't perfect, not many first year players are, but I think with the state of our pass rushers after Parsons, who on this teams is better than him?
I can see a scenario where, unless we sign a Free Agent which I would support, DDS is starting across from LVN to start the year. Sorrell isn't going to beat him out, maybe Cox if healthy.
BuckyBadger
May 19, 2026 at 09:03 am
Who is better than DDS? Possibly every one on the roster. If he was as good as you state he wouldn't have been lasting into the 4th round in a draft that was considered weak. Go look at the film acme packers put out and you will see exactly what I am talking about. This guy has some serious flaws to his game and he won't be ready to start this year. I know after the draft every pick is going to be great but that isn't the case.
If DDS is starting week 1 than we had injuries in camp. He is seen as a project player who needs lots of polish.
LambeauPlain
May 19, 2026 at 10:18 am
Most 3rd round draftees arrive in Camp as "projects"...it is precisely why they were not drafted in the 1st or 2nd.
There is a lot of skewed scrutiny for DDS. Too many fans compare him to 1st round prospects to show why he is deficient...and not talented like generational talents like Micah Parsons, Miles Garrett, or TJ Watt.
DDS is going to be a fun player to watch. He's going to have to earn the snaps...and he will.
Alberta_Packer
May 18, 2026 at 02:04 pm
So this is just a snapshot of the larger and constant roster construction process - that is intrinsically more complex and nuanced than a binary analysis. That being so - on:
Marshawn Lloyd - his status remains unchanged. This will be his 3rd year auditioning for RB2. If he can get off the injury list and onto the field - then the Offense and Packers fans will be the greater "winners." However a big IF.
Savion Williams - an interim, pre-training camp "winner" of an uncontested competition.. Competition will determine his final designation.
Ty'Ron Hopper - a "winner" if he can demonstrate a 3rd year performance jump. If not - once again - a depth and Special Teamer. So in any way his employment is probably assured for 1 more year.
Jacob Monk - OK - a loss of employment is definitely possible - with Monk having showed little or nothing up to now (also see Donovan Jennings). Meanwhile their potential replacements - Jager Burton, Josh Gesky...
Brenton Cox Jr. - One of the few veteran Edge players still on his rookie contract. This and the high attrition rates at his position suggests that he's relatively safe.
Carrington Valentine - There is a misperception of Valentine as a legit CB1 or CB2 . He is not. He has played as one strictly out of necessity. Where Valentine's capabilities truly project is a depth CB 3-5. As a late 7th round pick - this is still good value.
golfpacker61
May 19, 2026 at 07:30 am
"Carrington Valentine - There is a misperception of Valentine as a legit CB1 or CB2 . He is not. He has played as one strictly out of necessity. Where Valentine's capabilities truly project is a depth CB 3-5. As a late 7th round pick - this is still good value."
Yeah A P, it's really sad how far our CB room fell in a 5 year time frame. First we missed when we picked Stokes, his teammate was better than him. Alexander started getting injured a lot and fell off a cliff until he was released. Rasul Douglas became our best CB of the last 5 years and we traded him away. GB magnifies the problem by only spending 7th round "Flyers" on replacement CBs. We get so bad that Nixon & Vallentine become our starters. And the cherry on top was signing, for big $$$, Nate Hobbs, a Slot CB, when we needed a boundary CB.
Cox is the biggest mistake on the "Loser List." How do we lose 2 of our 3 "Best" Edge rushers, that's a joke in itself, and Cox is singled out as a loser? I would argue that he has shown more in very limited snaps than anyone not named Parsons. So now LVN is our best available pass rusher. Why? Because he has been here 3 years and accomplished nothing? Maybe Parson's will make him a better Edge this year, if it doesn't then it's time to move the $15 million man inside to get something positive out of him. DDS, Cox, and even Sorrell could pass LVN on the depth chart if he continues to tread water as he has for 3 years.
I think it would be a really smart move to sign another pass rusher immediately. I like A J Epenesa or Clowney because they are productive and cheap. At the very worst one of them could stabilize the pass rush at the start of the year and could be traded for draft assets later if the younger guys start to perform and Parsons comes back 100%.
At least we finally came to our senses and started rebuilding both rooms.
Coldworld
May 19, 2026 at 07:50 am
I’m looking forward to the depth battles in camp. Who will show up? The corner room could be very interesting, as will be the OL room. Glover healthy, Williams essentially an extra draft pick, Brant Banks at T to name a few returners worth watching in addition to the new or largely unknown.
The WR battles behind Watson, Reed and Golden are also going to be fun. Last year Shepherd was the star depth and plays a Doubs type role, but now we have Moore, a potentially healthy Williams and we’ve barely seen the physical freak that is Neyor who arrived right before the season last summer and Sturdivant is intriguing.
Is Moore the returner, or could that be Devonshire, Brenden Rice or Jaden Nixon? Is the team looking for a guy who doesn’t play WR or not slot? No one has picked up on this but we’ve added Nixon and now 2 more potential return candidates in the last week.
Edge rushers: Parsons aside, who can cause chaos? Someone has to. I have a sneaking suspicion that Cox might be the one who shakes up the pecking order, but it’s wide open to go and grab snaps this summer.
I feel like the depth could be very different looked at in early September. Who announces themselves from depth? Who just looks better? It will be a fun summer watching who emerge as the real winners.