Not many entering the 2025 season thought the Seattle Seahawks would hoist their 2^nd Lombardi Trophy in franchise history; however, they proved to be the best team from start to finish. Seattle tied for the best regular season record at 14-3 along with New England (lost in the Super Bowl) and Denver (lost in the AFC Championship to New England) – Seattle ended 3^rd in points scored and 1^st in points allowed, putting them 1^st in the point differential category. If you’ve been following along, that’s the best indicator of a team’s true strength.

Regarding my predictions heading into the season, I had the Philadelphia Eagles repeating as champs over the Cincinnati Bengals (my fault for thinking Burrow would play more than 8 games). I also had the Packers losing in the NFC title game to Philadelphia. I picked Seattle to finish 9-8 and just out of the playoffs as the 8^th seed in the NFC and had New England slotted in the 8^th seed in the AFC with a 10-7 record.

What’s Happened Since?

The biggest news was the trading of disappointing Edge Rusher, Rashan Gary. The Packers flipped him to Dallas (which is hilarious that the Cowboys felt they needed a pass-rush after trading away Micah Parsons) for a 2027 4^th-round pick. That’s a huge win for Green Bay as they were likely moving on from Gary considering his lack of production along with his inflated contract/cap-hit, this made all the sense in the world for the Packers to move him and find someway to get something in return. Here’s a list of notable “losses” from the organization since we last spoke:

• Defensive Coordinator: Jeff Hafley
• Special Teams Coordinator: Rich Bisaccia
• Edge Rusher: Rashan Gary
• Inside LB: Quay Walker
• Left Tackle: Rasheed Walker
• Wide Receiver: Romeo Doubs
• Wide Receiver: Dontayvion Wicks
• Left Guard: Elgton Jenkins
• Cornerback: Nate Hobbs
• Defensive Tackle: Colby Wooden

That’s quite the turnover from a team that showed much promise, however, all seem to be the right moves as Hafley was well-liked, but his defenses without Micah resembled those of his predecessor, Joe Barry. Everyone is happy to see Bisaccia gone, but until the special teams units take a big leap, we shouldn’t be holding our breath. It’s sad to see Jenkins leave, but at his age and wear & tear he was likely going to be a cap casualty considering his cap hit coming up. Quay was replaced immediately with the Wooden trade and Rasheed Walker’s replacement, Jordan Morgan, was already on the roster and had showed significant improvement throughout the 2025 campaign.

Now that we’ve covered the losses, let’s see who’s new to 1265 Lombardi Ave.

New Additions

Briefly mentioned above, the Packers made some trades and brought in some (hopefully key) free agent acquisitions. Let’s list them out:

• Defensive Coordinator: Jonathan Gannon (former Arizona Head Coach)
• Special Teams Coordinator: Cam Achord (Asst. Special Teams Coach, NYG)
• Javon Hargrave – DT
• Skyy Moore – WR (mainly kick/punt returner)
• Benjamin St-Juste – CB
• Zaire Franklin – ILB (Wooden trade)

The other main “acquisition” was extending C Sean Rhyan, which solidifies the OL a bit. However, this team will look a bit different, but for the most part stay the same. While it was another early playoff exit, this past season felt quite a bit different due to the Packers missing, arguably, their two best players the 2^nd half of the season (Kraft & Parsons). By addressing the offensive line issues – kind of – and getting those guys back, along with shoring up the LB corps and adding much-needed depth to the cornerback room, this team is poised to make a run again, assuming key players don’t get injured throughout the season…

What Does This Mean for the Packers’ Draft?

Keep in mind, Green Bay does not currently own a 1^st round draft choice in 2026 (or 2027) due to the Micah Parsons trade, but that doesn’t mean they can’t come out victorious from this weekend’s draft, held in Pittsburgh. The approach to the draft that Green Bay takes is the proper one, and widely debated. Green Bay rarely drafts for “need,” and typically drafts the “best player available” (BPA) or trades back/down. Considering there are 53 men on the roster and 46 suit up each game, having the most, best players on the roster is a great concept and will better you in the long run, almost always. This said, every team has needs, true needs and the Packers are no different. Green Bay still would like to have 2 additional solid, capable cornerbacks, a true run-stuffing defensive tackle, and offensive line depth is always necessary.

As for identifying players that Green Bay should target? That’s tough to say considering they don’t pick until 52, assuming they don’t trade up. If I had to guess, the Packers will take 1-2 cornerbacks, 1-2 offensive linemen, another wide receiver, maybe an inside linebacker, edge rusher, and tight end. They also may use one on a quarterback as that’s the prudent thing to do. With the spirit of tradition, I’ll make a guess, with the 52^nd pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the 13-time World Champion Green Bay Packers select…

Kayden McDonald – DT, Ohio St.

He’s likely gone, possibly even a 1^st round pick, but I’m hopeful that he could slide, as 2-3 prospects always do, and if he’s on the board when it’s Green Bay’s turn, I’d hope they pull the trigger and take him.