Two days into 2026 NFL Free Agency, the Green Bay Packers have lost their first pick from the 2022 draft, linebacker Quay Walker, who agreed to terms with the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday.

Also on Monday, edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare, a former 5th round pick, agreed to a one-year deal with the New York Jets.

Wide receiver Romeo Doubs signed a four-year deal with the New England Patriots on Tuesday and offensive tackle Rasheed Walker is also very likely to sign elsewhere in this free agency period.

Including quarterback Malik Willis, the Packers will lose five players drafted in 2022, but this will also bring back several compensatory selections in 2027. These picks, along with the pick acquired in the Rashan Gary trade, will be very important next spring as the Packers will be without a first round pick for the second straight draft as a result of the Micah Parsons trade.

Extremely curious to see what this contract means for the #Packers’ compensatory pick in 2027. https://t.co/GtHMAnFs88

— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) March 9, 2026

2022 Green Bay Packers Draft

I wrote last summer on the decisions related to the 2022 draft class as only Devonte Wyatt was under contract for 2026 at the time.

Many Decisions to Make For Packers’ 2022 Draft Class https://t.co/RDfIhxCVNP #Packers #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/mNiSz9LzmE

— CheeseheadTV 🧀 (@cheeseheadtv) June 15, 2025

Despite these losses from the 2022 class, this group has become Brian Gutekunst’s best since he became the team's general manager in 2018.

Quay Walker was a regular at inside linebacker since his first game as a rookie back in 2022. He would lead the team in tackles in the last four years.

Doubs and Rasheed Walker were both regular starters since 2023, when the team transitioned from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love.

When players leave in free agency it is easy to forget that if a team has a good draft, they will not be able to sign all the players.

I don't think that's true at all. Quay Walker was a miss as a first-round pick, but Romeo Doubs was a home run 4th round pick. Enagbare was a home run 5th. Rasheed Walker was a grand slam 7th.

Those players are leaving BECAUSE they're going to be expensive. https://t.co/rRR93yHGFU

— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) March 10, 2026

In comparison, the Kansas City Chiefs also had a very strong draft in 2022. They drafted two starting cornerbacks in Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, three other impact starters on their defense in edge rusher George Karlaftis, safety Bryan Cook and linebacker Leo Chenal. They drafted wide receiver Skyy Moore in Round 2 and current Packers tackle Darian Kinnard in Round 5. They also hit a home run in 7th round running back Isiah Pacheco.

But like with the Packers, they only can keep so many players from that draft. Only Karlaftis is back with the team long term. Before the start of free agency McDuffie was traded to the Rams. Watson signed with the Rams and Cook signed with the Bengals on Monday. Pacheco signed with the Lions and Chenal signed with the Cardinals on Tuesday.

Their trade of McDuffie, a player who became the league’s highest paid corner netted them future first round picks, which is what they did when they traded Tyreek Hill, before the 2022 draft.

Throw in that Dallas 4th with the four comp picks Green Bay is expecting to receive next year and they can really cook in the 2027 draft.

— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) March 9, 2026

Returnees for 2026

As the Packers look toward 2026, there are also four important players returning from the 2022 draft.

Defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, picked in the first round like his college teammate Quay Walker, will be on the last year of his rookie deal, and with another impressive season, he likely gets a contract extension.

Wide receiver Christian Watson, the 34th pick in 2022, is coming off his best season since rookie year, and it is likely that Gutekunst will extend Watson before the 2026 season begins. The Packers offense was noticeably much more explosive when Watson was in the lineup compared to when he was not.

The offensive line also will have two starters who were drafted in 2022, interior lineman Sean Rhyan and tackle Zach Tom. Rhyan figures to continue as the team’s center, starting the last 10 games of the season after now-former teammate Elgton Jenkins was injured against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tom has been a mainstay at right tackle the last three seasons, becoming one of the league’s best right tackles. He played with several injuries in 2025, which severely impacted the play of the offensive line. Tom could arguably be the second most important Packer on the offense after quarterback Jordan Love.

The Packers are not expecting Zach Tom's knee injury to affect the start of the 2026 season. https://t.co/CZ5V9RD5bR pic.twitter.com/QmmYGuIAuM

— The Packers Wire (@ThePackersWire) February 5, 2026