Packers 2026 draft preview: Searching for Malik Willis replacement at QB

The Green Bay Packers are going into the 2026 NFL draft with only seven draft picks and plenty of roster needs to address after another promising season fell apart late. Despite three straight playoff appearances, the Packers haven't finished higher than the No. 7 seed in the postseason field or advanced past the divisional round during the Jordan Love era.

Without a first-round pick due to the Micah Parsons trade, the Packers will need to win Day 2 and 3 to find contributors and long-term foundational pieces in this year's draft. Can the Packers use the 2026 draft to finally get over the hump in the NFC? Packers Wire’s position-by-position draft preview begins at quarterback: On the roster Jordan Love, under contract through 2028 Desmond Ridder, under contract through 2026 (unrestricted) Kyle McCord, under contract through 2026 (exclusive rights) Short term need Moderate.

While Jordan Love is entrenched as the franchise quarterback, the Packers got a first-hand look at a backup's value over the last two seasons. Love missed time with injury during each season, and Malik Willis excelled coming off the bench -- helping the Packers win four different games and keeping the offense competitive in a few other big spots, especially late in 2025. Could Desmond Ridder or Kyle McCord be thrown into a game in 2026 and do the same?

Ridder, a third-round pick in 2022, has started 18 career NFL games, but he doesn't have the athletic ability or arm talent of Willis (few quarterbacks do, to be fair), and he was underwhelming as a full-time starter in Atlanta in 2023. McCord was a draft pick of the Eagles in 2025 but is a true wildcard given his inexperience and inability to stick in Philadelphia past his rookie season. Replacing a high-end backup like Willis will be nearly impossible, but that reality can't stop the Packers from trying -- both via the draft and the available veteran free agency market post-draft.