Days before the 2026 NFL Draft got underway, Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters that his team would be adding numbers to the cornerback room. He wasted little time in doing so, grabbing South Carolina’s Brandon Cisse with the first pick he had on Friday night.
Welcome to Green Bay, Brandon! pic.twitter.com/KWk5zOCm4t
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) April 25, 2026
Overlooked by the Gamecocks coming out of high school in Sumter, S.C., the 5-foot-11 Cisse spent this first two seasons at North Carolina State, playing in 22 games for the Wolfpack. But given the opportunity to get back home for his junior season, Cisse transferred to South Carolina in 2025. He started all 12 games, recording 27 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one interception and five pass breakups.
“You can feel the chip on his shoulder when you talk to him,” Packers national scout Mike Owen said. “Coming full circle, then helping his team and that defense elevate to a different level. You can still see he’s got that chip on his shoulder. He still holds it to today. I hope he carries it on as he’s in the NFL.”
Cisse was projected to go in the second round and becomes the first cornerback chosen by the Packers in the first two rounds since they went with Eric Stokes in the first back in 2021. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah had Cisse ranked as the sixth-best cornerback in the draft and the No. 43 overall prospect.
Most scouts consider Cisse to be an explosive athlete and that showed up at the NFL Combine. He posted a 41-inch vertical, the fourth-best among corners, while also having the fourth-best broad jump. The 20-year-old, who won’t turn 21 until July, didn’t run the 40-yard dash in Indianapolis, but reportedly went 4.40 seconds at his pro day in Columbia.
Green Bay had just six cornerbacks on its roster coming into the draft. Outside of starters Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine, the only other player with extensive experience is free agent addition Benjamin St-Juste.
