GREEN BAY — General manager Brian Gutekunst lived up to his word and boosted the Green Bay 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. This marked the latest that they ever made their opening pick in a draft.
The Packers then sent a fifth-round pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to move up seven spots in the third round and take Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan at No. 77.
Gutekunst said at a predraft news conference Tuesday that cornerback was probably the position at which “we’re going to need to add the most numbers.” The Packers lacked proven cornerbacks beyond the tandem of Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine.
Cisse is eager to show he’s ready to help out. 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.
“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 in 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.
The Packers didn’t pick until Friday because they had sent their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks to the Dallas Cowboys in August as part of the blockbuster trade that brought All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay.
Parsons had 12½ sacks in 14 games last year before suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that ended his 2025 season prematurely and likely will prevent him from being available for the start of the next season.
This marked the first time the Packers entered a draft without a first-round pick since 1986, though they traded out of the first round on draft day in 2008 and 2017.
The Packers have five picks Saturday, including two in the seventh round.
The Packers are chasing a fourth straight playoff berth after going 9-8-1 and losing 31-27 to the Chicago Bears in the NFC wild-card playoff round last season. They ended their 2025 season with five straight losses.
