The Green Bay Packers have their work cut out for them this offseason. Despite bringing back Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst, there are several areas on the team that need to be improved. While filling in the defensive staff after Jeff Hafley left is at the top of the list, scouting for the NFL draft starts now.
The 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl is set to take place on January 27th in Frisco, Texas. This gives some prospects a chance to display their talents in front of NFL teams. There are some players the Packers should be keeping an eye on, as both sides of the ball need some juice.
1. Dallen Bentley, TE, Utah
The Packers have Tucker Kraft as their TE1 of the future, but he tore his ACL in 2025. While it's expected that he will be ready to roll for the 2026 season, they still need to make some additions to that room.
Luke Musgrave, Josh Whyle, Drake Dabney, and Messiah Swinson are the four players who are in Green Bay's tight end room currently, but none of them are locks to make the roster. Utah tight end Dallen Bentley is coming off a career year. In 2025 with the Utes, he finished with 48 catches for 620 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
This season, he showed that he can track the ball fairly well over his shoulder and owns soft hands as a receiver underneath. Bentley also showed nice strength as a run blocker, helping clear holes for a Utah team that ran for a program record 3,462 rushing yards.
Bentley can also do damage with the ball in his hands, recording 257 receiving yards after the catch. He's someone who would be appealing to the Packers and should be a guy they keep a close eye on.
2. Noah Thomas, WR, Georgia
The Packers have Romeo Doubs hitting free agency, and there's a good chance he leaves for a nice payday. Although Green Bay has the likes of Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Dontayvion Wicks, and Savion Williams in their WR room, this team has shown they will continue to take fliers on them.
And if they want a Day 3 target, Georgia receiver Noah Thomas could be their guy. He stands at 6-foot-5 with blazing speed that makes it difficult to stay in front of him. Thomas has a knack for tracking the deep ball well, but has room for growth with his route running and play strength.
In four seasons at Texas A&M and Georgia, Thomas had 89 catches for 1,238 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns. He has traits that will be appealing to NFL teams, and Green Bay could be one of them. You can never have enough weapons, and taking a chance on a player like Thomas would be smart. Especially with Watson and Wicks going into the final year of their contracts.
3. Albert Regis, DT, Texas A&M
Green Bay's defensive side has some firepower, but they'll need some extra bodies as both Micah Parsons and Devonte Wyatt will be rehabbing from season-ending injuries. Getting more power along the interior will be a priority for this team, and Texas A&M defensive tackle Albert Regis is someone that the Packers should watch at the Shrine Bowl.
Regis has terrific anchor strength and can hold his own ground. He has great pursuit and has shown the mobility to get after ball carriers in the backfield. A big plus of his game is that Regis understands his job and has sound gap integrity. That allows the linebackers at the second level to have the space to make plays and fill in the gaps to stop the run.
Regis can also play multiple spots along the defensive front if needed. In 51 collegiate games with the Aggies, he had 116 total tackles, 11 TFLs, 10 pass deflections, and 3.5 sacks. The Texas native would be a player who has a role on this defense in 2026 and should be a guy to keep an eye on at the Shrine Bowl.