The Green Bay Packers are going into the 2026 NFL draft with only eight draft picks and plenty of roster needs to address after another promising season fell apart late. Despite three straight playoff appearances, the Packers haven't finished higher than the No. 7 seed in the postseason field or advanced past the divisional round during the Jordan Love era. Without a first-round pick due to the Micah Parsons trade, the Packers will need to win Day 2 and 3 to find contributors and long-term foundational pieces in this year's draft.Can the Packers use the 2026 draft to finally get over the hump in the NFC?Packers Wire’s position-by-position draft preview continues at cornerback:On the rosterKeisean Nixon (signed through 2026)Carrington Valentine (signed through 2026)Benjamin St-Juste (signed through 2027)Kamal Hadden (signed through 2026)Jaylin Simpson (signed through 2026)Shemar Bartholomew (signed through 2026)Bo Melton is listed as a cornerback, but he didn't play a single snap there in 2025.
He is a receiver moonlighting as an emergency corner until proven otherwise.Short term needModerate to high. This all depends on your evaluation of Nixon and Valentine as starters. Nixon isn't a reliable No. 1 corner, while Valentine can't defend the run and is probably too inconsistent.
Both really struggled down the stretch in 2025. St-Juste provides competition, and he appears to be a strong fit as a zone corner in Jonathan Gannon's scheme. But even one injury could create chaos because depth on the perimeter is non-existent.
Javon Bullard will be the slot defender again in 2026, but the Packers don't have a great backup option there. It's hard to factor Belton into the equation because he didn't play any corner last season.Long term needHigh. There's arguably no position on the roster with a bigger long-term need than cornerback.
The only player signed past 2026 is St-Juste, who will need to play well this season to stick around in Green Bay in 2027. Nixon and Valentine are both entering contract years, and there is little in terms of developmental depth behind them. Bullard might be the long-term option in the slot, but there's a good chance the Packers will need two new starters on the perimeter (plus accompanying depth) as soon as the 2027 season.
A draft pick is desperately needed.Chances of drafting positionVery good. There is a short-term need for competition and depth and a long-term need for starters. Given the depth chart and contract situations, the Packers are all but guaranteed to take at least one corner in the draft, and a double dip (or even triple dip) is possible if the board falls right.
This position needs an upgrade for 2026 and stability past this year, and adding a couple of four-year rookie contracts from what looks like a talented pool of incoming corners is the best way to do it. The Packers not leaving the draft with at least one cornerback would be shocking.Depth of draft classGood. Dane Brugler of The Athletic has 34 cornerbacks in the class with a draftable grade, and many are good fits for the Packers in terms of size and athleticism benchmarks.
While the consensus board doesn't align nicely for the Packers to find a corner at No. 52 overall, there appears to be a big group of possible targets in the third- to sixth-round range. Don't fret if the Packers don't start the draft with a corner because there's a good chance one will arrive later on Day 2 or at some point on Day 3. Potential optionsColton Hood - Tennessee (34)Chris Johnson - San Diego State (38)Brandon Cisse - South Carolina (44)Malik Muhammad - Texas (91)Devin Moore - Florida (95)Julian Neal - Arkansas (96)Daylen Everette - Georgia (108)Will Lee III - Texas A&M (125)Ephesians Prysock - Washington (142)Charles Demmings - Stephen F. Austin (160)Domani Jackson - Alabama (189)Andre Fuller - Toledo (224)Bryce Phillips - San Diego State (342)Last cornerback drafted: Micah Robinson, seventh round, 2025This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers draft preview: Double dip possible at CB as rebuild begins