The Green Bay Packers' offseason program — voluntary workouts, OTAs, mandatory minicamp, and rookie minicamp — is officially in the books. The next time they take the field will be July 29th, when training camp opens.

It was a busy offseason for the front office, even if it didn't always feel that way. A number of key contributors from 2025 are no longer on the roster, leaving holes that someone will need to fill. Brian Gutekunst was relatively quiet in free agency, and he didn't have a first-round pick to use either — in fact, the Packers made just six selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, their smallest class in over two decades.

The Packers are looking to get over the hump in 2026. They haven't won the NFC North since 2021 and haven't advanced past the divisional round since 2020. Closing that gap is going to require a new face or two stepping into a bigger role. The question is: who?

One answer could be the rookies. The Packers targeted positions of need, high-level athletes, and players capable of contributing right away. It's a small class, but several names are already turning heads. It's worth taking everything with a grain of salt this early — it's only offseason workouts, after all — but if even one or two of these rookies can make an immediate impact, the Packers could find themselves taking the step forward they've been chasing.

Jager Burton

Prior to OTAs, the Packers' starting offensive line looked close to set — but rookie Jager Burton might have something to say about that. The fifth-round pick found himself splitting time with the first-team offensive line at both guard positions. His early performance has turned some heads, including his head coach.

"I see a really young guy that's extremely coachable, athletic, and is maximizing the most of his opportunities," Matt LaFleur shared. "I think every practice, he gets a little bit more comfortable, a little bit better. He's definitely going to be in the mix to compete for playing time this year."

Burton’s calling card coming out of the draft was versatility, and he hasn't wasted any time putting it on full display. "That was an attractive piece to his game, that versatility and flexibility," LaFleur said. "I think he's got a chance to impact really any of the inside three positions."

Throughout the offseason, #Packers best five on offensive line has seemed pretty set. Rookie Jager Burton might have something to say about that.

Matt LaFleur: “He’s definitely going to be in the mix for playing time this year.” pic.twitter.com/z9nqRidnzj

— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) June 10, 2026

Burton’s first time with the ones came at right guard. Anthony Belton moved outside to right tackle with Zach Tom still out due to a knee injury, and it was Burton who got the nod over the likes of Jacob Monk, Darian Kinnard, or Donovan Jennings. The following week, Burton moved over to left guard to fill in for the injured Aaron Banks, and Banks came away impressed as well.

“Jager’s been great. He’s a really smart guy. He’s picking up the playbook really well. He has a really good foundation of fundamentals coming into the league,” Banks said of his rookie teammate. “I think he understands the game pretty well — for a young guy, especially. He’s always asking questions, always listening intentionally, really just trying to get better every day.”

Cracking the starting lineup could be a tall task, but it’s not hard to envision Burton competing for a starting spot down the road. He has the versatility to compete at all three interior positions and an approach that his coaches and teammates both respect. "We haven't even put on pads yet, and we obviously have some guys out, but it's still awesome just to get to experience the difference in going with the ones," Burton said. "You're obviously going to mess up stuff sometimes, but not making repeat mistakes is a big emphasis here. If you mess something up once, don't mess it up again."

Brandon Cisse

Similar to Burton, it didn't take long for the Packers' top draft pick to start seeing first-team reps. Cornerback Brandon Cisse was quickly working into the first-team defense throughout minicamp, and while it might seem like a given after the cornerback group struggled last season, it was never going to be guaranteed. After all, Cisse is still just 20 years old. The Packers have several options at cornerback. Javon Bullard will most likely man the slot. On the outside, veterans Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, and Benjamin St-Juste will all be in the mix for playing time. Cisse will have to earn his spot in the rotation, but based on early returns, he's doing exactly that.

Cisse’s performance during minicamp stood out. Based on what many of the media members saw in person, Cisse showed excellent speed and quickness with a fast trigger, recorded several PBUs, and played with a swagger that caught the attention of several media members. He did get his first taste of an NFL moment, though. Per Andy Herman, Cisse lined up one-on-one with Christian Watson. Cisse played tight coverage, but Watson ran a perfect route, and Love put the ball in a spot only Watson could reach on a comeback. Cisse couldn’t believe it.

For better or worse, the Packers haven’t eased him in, either — particularly new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. "It's been great. He's super tough on me, but that's something I embrace," Cisse said. "It's tough love, and even when I do make plays, he's super excited. He's going to get on me in the film room — he may cuss me out — but it's all out of love. He's just a great coach. I couldn't ask for somebody better that's really invested in me."

It's still early, and Cisse will take his lumps going up against Jordan Love and company over the coming months. But the early impression has been a good one. "Until you get the pads, you never truly know," LaFleur said. "But in terms of just athletically, there's no doubt he has the skill set — that was pretty evident when he was coming out in the draft. Just the attitude, the effort, the preparation, the things he's in control of — he's done an outstanding job. He had a great play yesterday as a cloud corner, so he's doing a lot of good things."

Chris McClellan

There are some concerns about the defensive line, and understandably so. The unit from last season wasn’t good enough down the stretch, and the only change was shipping out Colby Wooden and bringing in Javon Hargrave and drafting Chris McClellan in the third round. Fortunately for this group, McClellan is off to an encouraging start.

The rookie defensive lineman got some early work with the first-team defense, logging snaps at all three interior spots — a strong indication that the Packers already have high expectations for their third-round pick. It should be noted that Devonte Wyatt was held out of team drills, and Javon Hargrave took only limited reps, but McClellan saw a lot of reps with the first unit.

McClellan made several notable plays over the last few weeks. Andy Herman detailed three separate moments where McClellan stood out. On one rep, he burst into the backfield to drop MarShawn Lloyd for a tackle for loss. A few plays later, he generated immediate pressure on a pass rush rep against Josh Gesky. The most notable, though, was when he got immediate pressure on Sean Rhyan — the Packers’ starting center. Pads aren't on yet, but he’s shown flashes.

The Packers have needed a true nose tackle for a while, and McClellan could fill that role. What makes the outlook for McClellan even more encouraging is that his versatility extends his value beyond that one spot. The more versatile he proves to be along the defensive front, the harder it'll be to keep him off the field.

Dani Dennis Sutton

"Oh my god." That was Micah Parsons' immediate reaction when asked about fellow Penn State alum Dani Dennis-Sutton — and it was clear he meant it in the best way possible. "Seeing him just this week, I think we got a really, really good football player."

Dennis-Sutton wasn’t working with the first-team defense as frequently as some of the other rookies, but he showed his share of flashes, too. He generated pressure on multiple occasions and was described as playing with notable intensity — exactly what coaches want to see from the rookies. Jonathan Gannon even worked him in at defensive tackle on obvious passing downs, which could open up another avenue to playing time.

Micah Parsons on fellow Penn State alumnus Dani Dennis-Sutton joining the Packers' defensive front:

"Oh, my God. We didn't have a crazy relationship [in college] since I was gone before he got there, but just seeing him this week, I think we got a really, really good football…

— Zach Jacobson (@zacobson) June 3, 2026

The Packers have a number of options at edge rusher, including Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver, Arron Mosby, and Brenton Cox. But rather than getting himself buried on the depth chart, Dennis-Sutton showed flashes that will get him more opportunities.

With Parsons expected to miss the first chunk of the season, there's a real opening for a young pass rusher to step up — and it very well could be the rookie from Penn State. Parsons certainly agrees. "I knew he was good at Penn State, but I think specifically in this 3-4 system, he's going to have a lot of success just with his length, his speed, his violence that he plays with," he said. "He's going to be a really good football player for us."