GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay’s confidence in its returning players was evident from the way the Packers approached this week’s draft.
With virtually all their starting positions already settled, the Packers made just six draft selections to match their lowest total in franchise history.
It represented a major contrast for general manager Brian Gutekunst, who had averaged 10 picks over his previous eight drafts.
“I’ve talked a little about (how) I like the depth of our football team,” Gutekunst said. I like the way our roster is shaping up. Yeah, I would have loved to have more. But the board didn’t line up like that would have been a good thing for us."
The other years in which the Packers had only six draft selections were 2001, 2002 and 2004. That 2004 draft also marked the only other time Green Bay selected just one offensive player.
Green Bay’s lone offensive draft pick in 2004 was the seventh-round selection of guard Scott Wells. This year the only offensive player Green Bay selected was Kentucky lineman Jager Burton in the fifth round at No. 153 overall.
The Packers focused on adding defensive depth to help new coordinator Jonathan Gannon. Green Bay selected South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse in the second round (No. 52 overall), Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan in the third (No. 77), Penn State edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton in the fourth (No. 120) and Alabama cornerback Domani Jackson in the fifth (No. 201).
Green Bay traded its 2026 and 2027 first-round picks to Dallas last August as part of the package to acquire All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons. The Packers also sent a fifth-round pick to Tampa Bay move up seven spots in the second round to take McClellan. They traded their two seventh-round picks to Seattle for a second sixth-round selection that they used on Florida kicker Trey Smack (No. 216).
Smack was the only kicker drafted. He will compete with incumbent Brandon McManus, who signed a three-year, $15.3 million contract last year.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” Smack said. “I’ve still got the shakes a little bit. I’m like, ‘Wow is this really happening right now?’ ”
McManus missed two field goals and an extra-point attempt in Green Bay’s 31-27 wild-card playoff loss at Chicago.
Green Bay also has Lucas Havrisik, who went 4 of 4 on field-goal attempts while filling in for an injured McManus last season.
“Just like any other position, you can never have enough competition," coach Matt LaFleur said.
Smack made 82.8% of his field-goal attempts at Florida and went 10 of 13 from at least 50 yards.
The selection of Dennis-Sutton had the apparent approval of Parsons, who also starred at Penn State. Parsons posted on Instagram a post Penn State released after the pick was made.
Dennis-Sutton said he spoke with his new teammate a couple of times when Parsons visited Penn State’s campus.
“Obviously he’s the best in the league and yeah, it’s really cool to be alongside him and get the opportunity to play for the Packers," Dennis-Sutton said.
Dennis-Sutton had 23½ sacks at Penn State, including 8½ each of the past two years. Packers director of player personnel John Wojciechowski said he didn’t expect Dennis-Sutton to remain available in the fourth round.
“It definitely leaves a chip on my shoulder,” Dennis-Sutton said.
Green Bay loves drafting versatile offensive linemen, and the Packers believe they’ve found another one in Burton. He made 47 total starts at three different positions (left guard, right guard and center).
“I don’t really have a preference,” Burton said. “Just whatever is going to help the Packers win games.”
Gutekunst has a history of finding quality offensive linemen on the final day of a draft.
Zach Tom, a 2022 fourth-round pick, is Green Bay’s best offensive lineman. Rasheed Walker, a 2023 seventh-round selection, was a three-year starter at left tackle before leaving for Carolina in free agency. Jon Runyan Jr., a 2020 sixth-round selection, was a three-year starting guard for Green Bay before the New York Giants signed him away.
Green Bay didn’t draft anyone who could back up Jordan Love at quarterback or Josh Jacobs at running back
The Packers had one of the NFL's best backup quarterback situations in the NFL with Malik Willis, who filled in well enough to earn a three-year, $67.5 million contract from the Miami Dolphins. Joining Love on Green Bay’s roster this year are Kyle McCord and Desmond Ridder, who has an 8-10 record in 18 starts.
Green Bay's running backs aside from Jacobs include Chris Brooks, MarShawn Lloyd, Damien Martinez and Pierre Strong Jr. Lloyd, a 2024 third-round pick, has appeared in only one game because of injuries.
Jackson was the nation’s No. 5 prospect in his high school class according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports, but he had an inconsistent college career that included stints at Southern California (2022-23) and Alabama (2024-25).
He was benched for a stretch last season. Jackson said he took comfort from the advice of former Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who played for the Packers from 2014-18.
“He became a brother to me,” Jackson said. “He just pulled me aside and had real life conversations.”
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FILE - South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse (15) runs drills during the school's NFL football Pro Day, March 17, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was uninjured and other top White House officials were evacuated from an annual dinner of the White House correspondents association on Saturday night after an unspecified threat. There did not immediately appear to be any injuries, and one law enforcement official said a shooter had opened fire.
Authorities said the incident occurred outside the ballroom where Trump and other guests were seated. It was not immediately clear what happened. The event was scrapped and will be rescheduled.
The FBI said the shooter is in custody and that its Washington field office is responding to the shooting.
Trump posted on Truth Social that he would give a statement at the White House tonight.
Compiling accurate and thorough information on a shooting takes time. Reporters are working to piece together the details from eyewitness accounts, authorities and other sources.
Here's the Latest:
The USSS has for years used the annual event to put agents through their paces because the agency has studied the venue has been extensively for decades.
The shooting suspect was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, two law enforcement officials told the AP.
Trump, describing what was going through his mind as the shots rang out, said he initially believed it was a tray being dropped, noting that the noise was “quite far away.” But the first lady, he said, was “very cognizant” that it was a shooting.
“I think she knew immediately what happened,” the president said, recalling that his wife told him, “That’s a bad noise.”
The president said the motivation of the shooter was unclear, but said that “he was a guy who looked pretty evil when he was down.”
The president also reiterated that he had wanted to continue the dinner, saying, “I fought like hell to stay.”
He said in an earlier social media post that law enforcement officials wanted the dinner to end.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said charges will be filed shortly and that the nature of the charges would be obvious considering what had happened at the dinner. Blanche stressed that “the investigation is obviously ongoing and just started.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is examining a long gun and shell casings recovered from the scene, as well as interviewing witnesses from the dinner. He urged anyone with information to come forward.
As he began the news conference, Trump called for tougher security measures, saying that “today, we need levels of security that probably nobody has ever seen before.”
He cited Saturday’s incident as a reason his ballroom, being constructed at the White House, is needed.
Trump, during a White House press briefing, said the suspect was armed with multiple weapons before being stopped by the Secret Service. One officer was shot, but he was protected by a bulletproof vest.
“He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job,” Trump said.
Security footage posted by Trump shows a man sprinting through the metal detectors and past law enforcement, who turn toward him with guns raised. Officers then swarm toward the man off-screen.
Correspondents, as well as Trump, have arrived at the White House briefing room for a news conference following a shooting incident at the annual correspondents' dinner.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he and his wife, Kelly, were at the event and grateful for the law enforcement and first responders “who acted so quickly to bring the situation under control.”
“Praying for our country tonight,” said Johnson, R-La., on social media.
“FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT,” said the House GOP on its account on the social platform X.
“House Republicans unite in praying for those who were in harm’s way,” it said.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he was “thankful for the swift law enforcement action to protect everyone” at the dinner, as he also called for an end to violence.
“The violence and chaos in America must end,” said Jeffries, D-N.Y.
Weijia Jiang, the senior White House correspondent at CBS News and president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, addressed the crowded room of journalists after the president had left.
She said the president would be holding a press briefing at the White House soon and that he insisted the dinner be rescheduled within the next 30 days. Jiang also said the president had wanted to continue with the event but had to follow security protocols.
Jiang, who had been sitting on the dais next to Trump when the incident unfolded, also emphasized the public service nature of journalism, saying that “when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it.”
“On a night when we are thinking about the freedoms in the First Amendment, we must also think about how fragile they are,” she said. “Thank God everybody is safe and thank you for coming together tonight. We’ll do this again.”
The FBI said the shooter is in custody and that its Washington field office is responding to the shooting.
The city’s Metropolitan Police Department posted a social message that said its officers are at the scene and coordinating with federal law enforcement.
“We will provide updated information once confirmed,” the message said.
Attendees were eating a spring pea and burrata salad, and waiters had begun preparing to bring out the next course when a security detail appeared on the ballroom floor and yelled for everyone to get down. Journalists in gowns and tuxedos ducked near tables as wine splattered onto white tablecloths and glasses clinked in the hurry to seek safety.
Armed security burst through the doors of the ballroom and raced toward the dais where Trump sat as attendees ducked or crouched under tables. At one point, someone in the room shouted, “USA!”
Trump said that a “shooter has been apprehended” in a post to Truth Social about 30 minutes following a security incident at the White House correspondents’ dinner.
Both Trump and Vice President JD Vance were uninjured in the incident.
Dinner organizers said there will be an “announcement shortly, we will be resuming shortly” from the stage. Most attendees are closed inside the ballroom and can’t leave.
A block from the White House, party-goers headed to the Renwick Museum were instead gathered at police tape as the streets and sidewalks were blocked off. Police cars tore up and down the block, sirens blaring. A helicopter buzzed overhead.
Generally, the Hilton hotel, where the dinner has taken place for years, remains open to regular guests during the White House Correspondents Dinner. It has typically been focused on the ballroom — rather than the hotel at large — with little screening for people not entering the dinner itself.
In past years, that has created openings for disruptions in the lobby and other public spaces, including protests in which security moved to remove guests who unfurled banners or staged demonstrations.
The banquet hall, where hundreds of prominent journalists, celebrities and national leaders were awaiting Trump’s speech, was immediately evacuated. Members of the National Guard took up position inside the building as people were allowed to leave but not reenter. Security outside was also extremely tight.
It was not immediately clear what happened. A law enforcement official confirmed there was a shooter but no further details were immediately available.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro posted a short video from the hotel after the incident, saying, “I have been taken out of the ballroom after the sound of the shots fired. The Secret Service is now in charge of this building, this hotel. I just spoke to Mayor Muriel Bowser. She is on her way, and (Police) Chief Jeffery Carroll is on his way. He will be in charge as soon as he gets here.”
An ambulance responds to an incident at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Secret service agents respond during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
First lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump attend the annual White House Correspondents Dinner at the Washington Hilton, Saturday, March 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
Law enforcement are seen outside the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
