We're officially 47 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. 47, we have linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper
Green Bay Packers linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper (59) slaps hands with fans as he walks with a young fan to a joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, August 22, 2024, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.
The Packers certainly believed in Ty'Ron Hopper when they selected him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Missouri. He was pick No. 91 in that draft, so he's a Top 100 player from that class.
Unfortunately, what we've seen from Hopper over the past two seasons is not Top 100 player stuff.
The Packers let Quay Walker go in free agency , which could have been a sign that they were ready to see Hopper's ascendance. Instead, though, they traded defensive lineman Colby Wooden to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for veteran linebacker Zaire Franklin.
Hopper has untapped potential as a 6-foot-2, 228-pound linebacker who was an All-SEC second-team linebacker at Mizzou who notched 133 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, seven passes broken up, and one forced fumble in 2022 and 2023 combined.
Can he reach that potential? That's the biggest question for him heading into training camp.
2025 Synopsis:
To Hopper's credit, he has been a consistent special teams player and backup linebacker for the Packers, so he brings important depth to the table. Last season, he played in all 17 games for the Pack and notched 24 tackles (10 solo), one forced fumble and one stuff.
In the Packer's playoff loss to the Chicago Bears, Hopper snagged the first interception of his career, against Caleb Williams.
Notable Quotables:
"He could be a valuable young player who contributes across multiple special teams groups and pushes for playing time, but it's getting harder and harder to see a pathway to the field on defense that doesn't involve an injury or two. That's a disappointing reality for a former top 100 pick. Time to change the narrative." - Zach Kruse
Projected role in 2026:
Hopper is going to start the season as a backup linebacker behind Edgerrin Cooper and Franklin. His upside makes him an interesting player to watch if Franklin doesn't live up to expectations and Hopper starts doing so. In the meantime, though, Hopper is going to have to make his impact on special teams and in sub packages.
Previous Rankings:
