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Packers’ biggest mistake from 2026 NFL Draft
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- Packers’ biggest mistake from 2026 NFL Draft
Packers’ biggest mistake from 2026 NFL Draft appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Green Bay Packers have never been known to make many external moves through free agency or the trade market. That didn’t change this year. They made very few offseason additions, with low-profile signings of Javon Hargrave and Benjamin St-Juste serving as their most significant transactions. The Packers even lost some key players, such as Malik Willis , Rashan Gary , Elgton Jenkins , Quay Walker , Emanuel Wilson , and Romeo Doubs .
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With that said, the Packers have historically found success in the draft, but their 2026 NFL Draft performance was underwhelming. The team was without a first-round pick, and although the selection of Brandon Cisse in round two was a great value pick, the team missed the mark with their later picks. One move stood above the rest, though. So, what was the Packers’ biggest 2026 NFL Draft mistake?
The Packers were the only team to invest draft capital into a kicker
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Packers entered the draft with holes all over the roster that needed plugging. In the offseason, they lost arguably the best backup quarterback in the NFL, as well as a high-end backup running back. Solid receivers left the team, and Green Bay got thinner along their offensive line and in their linebacker room.
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Some of these positions were addressed in the draft, but the Packers didn’t do a good enough job of bringing in reinforcements. They didn’t draft an edge rusher until the fourth round when they took Dani Dennis-Sutton , despite the fact that Micah Parsons could miss all of next season . The star edge rusher, whom they traded two first-round picks to get, might not even look like his normal self upon his return, meaning insurance and depth at the position were needed. The team also took two cornerbacks, despite the fact that the passing defense wasn’t decimated as much as other position groups this offseason. The Packers were already ranked 11th in passing defense last year.
The Packers could have better allocated their resources in the 2026 NFL Draft, and nothing proves that more than their selection of Trey Smack. The 216th overall pick is a kicker out of Florida. Drafting kickers is often viewed as a polarizing decision, but this draft choice was a particular head-scratcher. Firstly, the Packers took Smack in the sixth round. If a kicker is to be drafted, even round six is a little rich to take one. Furthermore, the Florida product wasn’t the consensus number one kicker this year.
Many draft experts had either Drew Stevens from Iowa or Dominic Zvada from Michigan ranked higher. Both players had led their respective conferences in field goal makes at one point, something that Smack never accomplished. Smack was drafted for his killer leg strength. He made 10 field goals from 50+ yards out, which was a Florida record. However, his accuracy falls short compared to many drafted kickers that came before him.
For a team that suffered so many offseason losses and had yet to completely replenish the roster, the Packers would have been better off hoping Smack or one of the other kicker prospects would have been available as an undrafted free agent. They should have instead drafted another player at more of a position of need. After a down year from Brandon McManus , the Packers were looking for a new kicker, but drafting one as high as Green Bay did was a little bit silly.
Related: Packers’ 2026 NFL Draft Grades For Every Pick
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