Packers boost cornerback depth by
selecting South Carolina's Brandon Cisse at No. 52 overall
[April 25, 2026]
By STEVE MEGARGEE
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst
lived up to his word and boosted the Packers' cornerback depth by
selecting South Carolina’s Brandon Cisse with their opening pick in
the NFL draft Friday.
The Packers, who didn’t have a first-round pick, chose Cisse in the
second round at No. 52 overall. This marked the latest that Green
Bay has ever made its opening pick in a draft.
Green Bay addressed another position of need later Friday by sending
a fifth-round pick to Tampa Bay to move up seven spots in the third
round and take Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan at No. 77
overall.
“I’m really excited about these two guys,” Gutekunst said. “I think
they can help our football team. I think they have really bright
futures ahead of them.”
Gutekunst said at a pre-draft news conference Tuesday that
cornerback was probably the position where “we’re going to need to
add the most numbers.” Green Bay lacked proven cornerbacks beyond
the tandem of Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine.
Gutekunst said he liked Cisse and McCellan enough to consider both
of them with Green Bay's second-round pick He had no qualms about
trading up when McClellan was still available in the third round.
“We really had a few players with that first pick at 52 that we
liked, and it was kind of a tough decision there,” Gutekunst said.
“And then a couple of them hung around and we tried to get one, and
we did.”
Cisse savored the opportunity to begin his NFL career in Green Bay.
His emotional reaction to the announcement of his name was caught on
camera during the draft telecast.
“It’s special,” Cisse said. “I saw the area code and I saw Green Bay
Packers, and it’s like a moment come true. Just really can’t put it
into words.”
Cisse said his girlfriend's family members are big Packers fans from
Wisconsin, giving him plenty of familiarity with his new team.
“Just a historic tradition,” Cisse said. “Cheesehead, Go Pack Go,
just a very loud stadium, Lambeau Field.”
Cisse also said he spoke briefly with Nixon, another former South
Carolina player. Cisse said he planned to learn everything he could
from his new teammate.
Although Cisse's college numbers don't jump off the page, the
Packers believe he has plenty of qualities that should translate to
the NFL.
Cisse spent last season at South Carolina after playing two years at
N.C. State. The 6-footer totaled 10 pass breakups and two
interceptions in three college seasons.
Packers national scout Mike Owen said he lives about 35 minutes from
South Carolina's campus and spent plenty of time with Cisse.
[to top of second column] |
South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse (15) runs drills during the
school's NFL football Pro Day, March 17, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP
Photo/Scott Kinser, File)
“When you go there, they spoke highly of him in the
weight room, at practice,” Owen said. “Smart kid, always watching a
ton of football. Every time I went there, he was in the recruiting
office watching the NFL, college or high school. That’s what I love
about the kid. He really loves football at the end of the day.”
Cisse's love for football was evident from the trip he took to watch
last season's NFC championship game at Seattle in person. He hopes
to eventually be playing in a game with similarly high stakes.
“It’s something that you really strive for,” Cisse said. “So I look
forward to it and being able to get in that kind of environment.”
The Packers got another SEC defensive player in McClellan, who
started 22 games at Missouri over the last two seasons after playing
for Florida from 2022-23. He recorded six sacks last season.
Green Bay wasn't picking until Friday because the Packers had sent
their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks to Dallas last August as part
of the blockbuster trade that brought All-Pro pass rusher Micah
Parsons to Green Bay.
Parsons had 12 1/2 sacks in 14 games last year before tearing his
anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that ended his 2025 season
prematurely and likely will prevent him from being available for the
start of the upcoming season.
“That was the first thing I thought about as soon as they hung up
the phone and we see it on the screen, I get to play with one of the
best in the game in Micah Parsons, man,” McClellan said.
This marked the first time Green Bay entered a draft without a
first-round pick since 1986, though the Packers traded out of the
first round on draft day in 2008 and 2017.
The Packers have five picks on Saturday, including two in the
seventh round.
“You wouldn’t mind moving around a little bit," Gutekunst said. "I
think the board is strong, and there’s good players up there. It's
always hard just to stick to the very best player available, but
particularly on the third day, I think if you can do that, you’re
better off. And so, I don’t feel like (there's) a pressing need. I
didn’t feel that coming into this draft, and I don’t feel that now,
that we have to go just fill a spot.”
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