While 26 teams will begin the process of making their selections in the 2026 NFL Draft this Thursday night in Pittsburgh, the Green Bay Packers (at the time of this writing, that is) won't make their first selection until Friday, as they're one of the six clubs without a first-round selection, joining the Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The reason the Packers don't have a Day 1 pick, of course, is because they sent it to the Dallas Cowboys last August in the trade that brought all-world edge rusher Micah Parsons to Titletown. That pick is No. 20 overall.
And it's that No. 20 pick that's the focus here, as the latest mock draft from ESPN's Jordan Reid has Dallas using said selection to pick a player that Cheeseheads everywhere have been swooning over for quite some time now, that being San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson.
ESPN mock draft has the Cowboys taking CB Chris Johnson with the pick they received from the Packers
For those wondering, Reid has the Packers taking Penn State edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton with their first selection of the week at No. 52 overall in Round 2, which would seemingly please most people.
But with cornerback being a big need, Green Bay fans were really getting behind the idea that Johnson could somehow fall that far. But, as mentioned, in gut-punch fashion, Reid has him going to Dallas at No. 20.
"Johnson is an ascending prospect about whom multiple sources have raved to me over the past few weeks," Reid wrote. "He has shot up the board through the predraft process and is in position to be the third cornerback off the board. We already have the Cowboys taking a safety at No. 12, but there's no such thing as too much help for a secondary that allowed a league-high 46 completions of 25-plus yards last season and 35 passing touchdowns, which were the second most in the NFL."
That "ascending prospect" line at the start is key, as there genuinely was a time that the Packers seemed to be in play for Johnson at No. 52, as some analysts seemed to believe that his small-school status could hinder his draft position significantly.
But the word is out about the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and the 6-foot, 193-pounder could easily even be off the board by the time Dallas goes on the clock at No. 20.
In 11 games for the Aztecs in 2025, Johnson recorded four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns, defended another five passes, and allowed an absolutely absurd 16.1 passer rating to opposing QBs when targeted.
His 91.6 overall PFF grade ranked second in the country among 897 qualifying cornerbacks, his 92.4 coverage grade ranked third, and his 86.6 pass-rush grade 16th. His 67.1 run-defense mark leaves a bit to be desired, but it's certainly not alarming by any stretch.
Simply put, he's exactly what the Packers would be looking for in a cornerback. But again, there's simply no way he's falling to No. 52 now, and it really would be a wild twist of irony if the Cowboys got him at No. 20.
The saving grace, of course, is that Green Bay got Parsons for that pick, and Cheeseheads need to remember that come Thursday night when Johnson goes off the board.
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