Packers Hope CB Brandon Cisse Gives Lift To Secondary

April 25, 2026 adminsr

South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse (15) runs the 40 yard dash during the school’s Pro Day on March 17.

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst was asked about his cornerback group earlier this week and said: “we need to add some numbers there.”

Gutekunst got a start on that process Friday night when he used his second round draft pick — No. 52 overall — on South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse.

Cisse helps fill an enormous need for Green Bay, which returns underwhelming starters Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine, and signed Benjamin St-Juste in free agency.

“He’s a first,” one scout told golongtd.com of Cisse. “He’s got real quick feet. He’s on his coverage. He’s hard to separate from. He covers all over the place. If he gets beat, he can catch up. He’s what you’re looking for.”

Cisse is 5-11 ½, 189 pounds and won’t turn 21 until July. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds at his pro day.

Cisse spent two years as a reserve at North Carolina State, then transferred to South Carolina for his final season.

Cisse finished his three-year career with just two interceptions, 10 passes defense and 65 tackles. He posted a vertical jump of 41 inches and a broad jump of 10 feet, 11 inches.

“A lot to like about Brandon Cisse,” Packers national scout Mike Owen said of Cisse. “Smart, tough, physical corner. Got good foot quickness, can run, so there’s a lot to like about him, and he’s wired right. That’s the biggest thing at the end of the day.”

Green Bay had just seven interceptions in 2025, which ranked just 28^th in the NFL.

In addition to the underwhelming trio of Nixon, Valentine and St-Juste, the Packers’ depth at the position is even worse, with players like Shemar Bartholomew, Bo Melton and Kamal Hadden potentially in the mix.

“I look forward to showcasing and excited to see where it goes and just excited to show everybody I can make those kind of plays,” Cisse said. “So just taking full advantage of every opportunity.”

Cisse was the sixth cornerback taken in a relatively deep cornerback draft.

“He’s a football junkie,” another scout said of Cisse. “More of a cover guy than a run-support guy. But he can run and he’s got pretty decent cover skills.”

Some scouts were concerned about Cisse’s lack of production, though.

“If DBs don’t have four or five career picks I’m starting to worry about them,” another scout told golongtd.com. “Were they in man the whole time? I’m pretty sure they weren’t. They should have more picks than that.”