No one seems to know what to make of the Green Bay Packers coming off a disappointing, injury-filled end to the 2025 season, an offseason headlined by departures and a 2026 draft class featuring only six players.

Based on NFL power rankings from national outlets, the Packers sit as high as the fourth-best team, suggesting a title contender, and as low as the 20th best team, predicting a non-playoff squad. The majority see the Packers as a middle-of-the-pack team with the potential to surprise or disappoint.

Advertisement

It’s not difficult to understand the optimism or the trepidation of the rankers. If healthy, the Packers have the top line talent to compete with any team in the league. But they also have several key players coming back from major injuries, some moving pieces on both sides of the ball after a bevy of veteran departures and two new coordinators. And you can bet the taste of Green Bay‘s five-game losing streak, including the disastrous second half in Chicago during the postseason, hasn’t yet faded for most national analysts.

The Packers are in a bit of a transition situation, where a host of former contributors at important spots are set to be replaced by young talent or incoming vets. And it may take a little time for the stars — like Micah Parsons and Tucker Kraft — to re-establish themselves as dominant players after significant knee injuries.

The 2026 Packers probably can’t be accurately judged until a few months into the season. This is a team that needs to get a few players back, get a few players comfortable in new, important roles and get everyone playing their best late in the season. The Packers look like a puzzle with all the pieces. Now, it’s time to see if they can put them together in the right way over the next 7-8 months.

Where the Packers sit in power rankings post-draft:

Advertisement

Warren Sharp: No. 4

From Sharp: “Green Bay did not have a ton of draft capital, but they seemingly got good value at key needs with their second, third, and fourth-round picks. The defense needs Micah Parsons to get healthy, and the offense needs Jordan Love to stay healthy. If that happens, this is one of the best teams in the league.”

ESPN: No. 7CBS Sports (Pete Prisco): No. 7

From Prisco: “They added some defensive pieces in the draft, but this offseason is about guys like Micah Parsons and Tucker Kraft returning to form. They are still a young team.”

Bleacher Report: No. 12

From B/R: “Green Bay’s biggest boost this year may simply come from getting healthy. Tight end Tucker Kraft was having a breakout season before tearing his ACL, and the team mortgaged its future last year to obtain edge-rusher Micah Parsons only to see him suffer the same injury. Green Bay didn’t have a first-round pick this year, but they focused their other selections on defense—three straight picks on that side of the ball in cornerback Brandon Cisse, defensive lineman Chris McClellan and edge-rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton. The Packers have the talent on both sides of the ball to contend in the NFC North. But on paper at least, they are the No. 3 team in the division. They need to stay healthy this year and have some young players step up.”

Advertisement

The Athletic: No. 14USA Today (Nate Davis): No. 15

From Davis: “This draft − by definition − was shaped last year by the acquisition of DE Micah Parsons and, consequently, didn’t add a lot more notable help. And with Parsons unlikely to get back to 100% this season as he battles back from a torn ACL, Pack fans should probably temper expectations at or around another No. 7 seed.”

NFL.com (Eric Edholm): No. 16

From Edholm: “It’s strange. While the draft was happening, nothing Green Bay did thrilled me that much. But now that it’s in the can, I look back and kind of like what the Packers generally did. It was mostly a blue-collar haul for the Pack — and any class lacking a first-rounder is naturally going to look a little lean — but it addressed some sore spots on the roster and built out some decent reinforcements. The Packers believe internally they can compete for a Super Bowl, and that isn’t some wild statement. The healthy returns of Tucker Kraft and Micah Parsons can help get them there, along with a resurgent Jordan Love. This class was never going to be the difference between a ring or not in the 2026 season.”

Advertisement

FOX Sports (Ralph Vacchiano): No. 16

From Vacchiano: “The Packers said they needed a corner and a nose tackle, and they got both with their picks in Rounds 2 and 3. But CB Brandon Cisse and DT Chris McClellan might be more about depth than immediate impact. They also still need a wideout to replace the two they lost.”

Sports Illustrated (Conor Orr): No. 20

From Orr: “The Packers checked boxes in the draft, after desperately needing to come out of the second and third rounds with a cornerback and defensive tackle. The question, of course, is how quickly new DC Jonathan Gannon can integrate both into his scheme and whether there’s enough progression to get this defense near its Jeff Hafley–led peak before the Micah Parsons injury.”

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers rank all over in post-2026 draft NFL power rankings