2026 Packers roster ranking, 70-62: Fringe roster guys and practice squad hopefuls

The Leap ranks the Green Bay Packers' 90-man roster in order of player caliber.

With the Green Bay Packers on break until training camp and the personnel essentially frozen for the foreseeable future, The Leap will use this time to reveal its annual 90-man roster rankings.

Our methodology: We order the players based on ability relative to their respective positions rather than weighing the importance of those positions. Put another way, this exercise prioritizes the “best” players, not necessarily the ones who offer the most “value.” That means the starting quarterback doesn’t have to top the list because of the position he plays.

Each edition of the 90-man roster ranking will include a batch of roughly 10 players. Due to voting ties, some batches will feature slightly more or less.

Today’s slate features players who have traversable paths to jobs, albeit at the back of the roster. Others probably won’t push to make the 53, but they could convince the Packers to retain them on the practice squad following final cuts.

70. Nyjalik Kelly

Position: Edge
How acquired: undrafted free agent (2026)

The Packers showed their belief in Nyjalik Kelly when they gave him over $250,000 in guaranteed money on his undrafted free agent deal. Kelly is a tall, long, traitsy edge rusher with a 6-foot-5, 263-pound frame and the longest arms of any edge rusher at the combine this year.

Without Micah Parsons for half the season (at least), Green Bay will need to find some pop in their edge rush somewhere, and while Lukas Van Ness will be a no-doubt starter if he’s healthy, essentially every spot after that is up for grabs as far as establishing a pecking order.

Kelly, a raw prospect, is a former four-star prep player who played at Miami before transferring to UCF. He’s as physically gifted as any of the guys he’ll be competing with and, given the guaranteed money, has a real chance to land on the practice squad, if not make a push for the roster.

69. Jaylin Simpson

Position: cornerback
How acquired: street free agent (2025)

Jaylin Simpson came to the Packers from the Indianapolis Colts as a former fifth-round pick in 2024. He’s a tall, skinny cornerback with truly elite explosive athleticism.

In one game of action against the Minnesota Vikings, Simpson was extremely active for a defensive back, finishing the game with eight tackles, but he had issues playing sticky in coverage, and he had a missed tackle that led to an explosive play.

Simpson has the athleticism the Packers prize in defensive backs, but at 179 pounds, he’s much slighter than Green Bay usually wants. That lack of density showed up against the Vikings, and while he has some playmaking instincts, he has to get bigger to make an impact, even on special teams, for the Pack.

But because of the position he plays, and the lack of depth at cornerback, safety, and in the slot (where I’d like to see him get a shot to play), he has value as a developmental piece.

68. Brant Banks

Position: offensive lineman
How acquired: undrafted free agent (2025)

This is a 21-spot jump for Brant Banks from last season, who is the latest towering developmental prospect the Packers have taken on. If Green Bay can get out of Banks what they got out of Yosh Nijman, they’ll be thrilled, but there’s a long way to go before he gets there.

Banks is a 6-foot-7 former Nebraska transfer to Rice, where he finished his collegiate career. In limited preseason reps, Banks, who has put on 10 pounds from his combine weight to 318, showed a talent for pass blocking. In all three exhibition contests, he earned a Pro Football Focus pass block grade over 80, with his best grade coming against the Seattle Seahawks, when he also played the most snaps.

At present, he may be OT4 on the Packers, which should realistically put him higher on this list, but with Anthony Belton’s experience at tackle, the former second-round pick would likely get the call if the position became that dire.

Still, I expect Banks to land on the practice squad, and depending on how the interior offensive line shakes out, could sneak onto the final 53.