The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100prospects who the Green Bay Packers could select in the 2026 NFL draft.
As it stands right now the Green Bay Packers have a pair of seventh-round picks during the 2026 NFL Draft. A potential target with one of those picks could be Anterio Thompson. The Washington defensive tackle had a 30 visit with the Packers and checks in at No. 11 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.
A Wisconsin native, Thompson didn’t start playing football until his senior year of high school. He started his collegiate career at the JUCO level at Iowa Western Community College. He then transferred to Iowa for the 2023 season and logged 41 snaps on special teams and blocked two punts.
Following his lone season with the Hawkeyes, he transferred to Western Michigan for the 2024 season and recorded 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack and blocked another punt.
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Thompson spent his final season at the University of Washington. During his lone season with the Huskies, Thompson recorded 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
“Anterio was a huge piece for Washington against the run,” Roman Tomashoff, the editor for UWHuskiesWire, said. “His strength and athleticism in the middle of the defense helped the Huskies take a massive step forward in run defense, as they improved to No. 12 in the nation, allowing just 100.08 yards per game.”
Thompson is hard to dig out for one player. It usually takes multiple offensive linemen to move him off his spot. He uses a lower center of gravity to maintain proper leverage at the point of attack. He utilizes his first-step quickness to slither into gaps and disrupt run lanes. His motor is always running, and he has the lateral quickness and burst to chase down ball carriers.
“Thompson anchors very well,” Tomashoff said. “He plays with great upper body strength to help him shed blocks and redirect ball carriers, even if he wasn’t the one making the tackle.”
Thompson is still developing a pass rush plan, which isn’t surprising for a player as green as he is. Where he wins as a pass rusher is with his explosive first step (1.74 10-yard split) and ability to convert speed to power. Over the past two seasons, he recorded 33 pressures.
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“His pass rushing ability came on throughout the season, as his natural athleticism and improved technique shined through,” Tomashoff said. “He even discussed attempting to pursue an extra year of eligibility to continue refining his technique, so his pass rushing is still a little ways off, but he knows exactly where he needs to improve to take his next step.”
Fit with the Packers
The Packers signed veteran defensive tackle Javon Hargrave in free agency. Even with the addition of Hargrave, the Packers still need to add one or two defensive tackles in the upcoming draft.
Thompson’s production won’t wow anybody, and he’ll also turn 24 in October. Those two things could keep him from getting drafted.
However, he has active traits, and the flashes on tape are there. Flip on the Michigan game from this past season and you see a player capable of carving out a role in a rotation.
The Wisconsin native has a unique blend of quickness and power to at least peak teams’ interest late on Day 3. He has the strength to hold the point of attack and be a factor against the run. As a pass rusher, he has the tools to develop into a factor and it will be up to a team to help him develop a pass rush plan.
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“He has all the physical tools to at the very least be a valuable special teams player, if not a rotational piece along the interior,” Tomashoff said. “He’s also spent a lot of time talking about the mental journey that he’s taken to become more coachable throughout his college career, and the strides he’s made in that department can’t be overlooked.”
With a pair of seventh-round picks at his disposal, Gutekunst could roll the dice on Thompson’s athleticism as he looks to find another Day 3 gem.
A new University of Washington study detected a parasitic tapeworm that can infect domestic dogs and humans in the intestines of one-third of coyotes surveyed in Washington. In this provided photo, a coyote (not part of the study) is pictured in a Seattle park in fall 2025.
Courtesy Samantha Kreling/University of Washington
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Researchers in Washington state have found that about a third of the local coyotes studied have a species of tapeworm. These can be passed to dogs, and in rare instances humans. These parasites are also present in foxes and other canid urban wildlife. Domestic dogs can also contract them, and it can be years before the symptoms of the severe disease they cause are detected, making diagnosis and treatment difficult. In rare instances, dogs can spread the tapeworms to humans. We talk with Yasmine Hentati, the study’s lead author who recently got her doctorate in environmental and forest science from the University of Washington. She shares more about these parasites and the relative risks for people and dogs.
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Cold Spring Harbor played Port Washington in a Nassau boys lacrosse game on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Credit: David Meisenholder
Andrew Ioannou of Cold Spring Harbor shoots against Port Washington during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Credit: David Meisenholder
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Daniel Touhy of Cold Spring Harbor changes direction while looking to evade the Port Washington defense during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Credit: David Meisenholder
Max Eynon of Port Washington makes a save against Cold Spring Harbor during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Credit: David Meisenholder
Matt Kammer of Cold Spring Harbor deflects a shot for a save against Port Washington during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
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Colby Koeningsberger of Cold Spring Harbor advances the ball against Port Washington during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Credit: David Meisenholder
Rex O’Connor of Cold Spring Harbor controls the ball late in the 4th quarter against Port Washington during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Credit: David Meisenholder
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Andrew Ioannou of Cold Spring Harbor runs past Jimmy Gannon of Port Washington during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
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Dylan Reilly, left, and Rex O’Connor of Cold Spring Harbor celebrate after a goal during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Credit: David Meisenholder
Dylan Reilly of Cold Spring Harbor rips a shot on goal against Port Washington during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
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Colby Koeningsberger #2 of Cold spring harbor looks for an open teammate to pass to against Port Washington during a league 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026
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Andrew Ioannou of Cold Spring Harbor looks to dodge Jimmy Gannon of Port Washington during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
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Rex O’Connor, left, and Jake Telesco of Cold Spring Harbor celebrate after a goal against Port Washington during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Credit: David Meisenholder
Dylan Reilly of Cold Spring Harbor controls the ball against Port Washington during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Credit: David Meisenholder
Roy Testa of Cold Spring harbor looks for an open teammate against Port Washington during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
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Roy Testa of Cold Spring Harbor advances the ball against Port Washington during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
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Jake Feinstein of Port Washington puts pressure on Rex O’Connor of Cold Spring Harbor during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
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Rex O’Connor of Cold Spring Harbor looks to dodge the Port Washington defense during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Credit: David Meisenholder
Harry Eynon of Port Washington comes around the crease against Cold Spring Harbor during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Credit: David Meisenholder
Goalie Matt Kammer of Cold Spring Harbor advances the ball after a save against Port Washington during a Nassau League 1B boys lacrosse game at Port Washington on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
An aviation safety bill seeking to address lessons learned from last year’s midair collision of a jet with an Army helicopter near the nation’s capital is up for a vote Tuesday evening in the House, but key senators and the families of the 67 victims think the bill needs to be strengthened.
The House bill, called the Alert Act, has the backing of key industry groups. The National Transportation Safety Board said recently that the legislation, since amended, now addresses its recommendation to require all aircraft flying around busy airports to have key locator systems that let pilots know more precisely where other aircraft are flying around them.
The NTSB has been recommending the new technology systems since 2008, and Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy has said such a system would have prevented the collision of the American Airlines jet and Army Black Hawk helicopter that sent both aircraft plunging into the icy Potomac River.
Two key House committees unanimously advanced the bill last month. The bill is now being brought up for a full House vote under rules that won’t allow any amendments. But victims’ families said they want to make sure the bill has strict timelines to guarantee the reforms will be completed. And they worry the House bill would allow military flights to continue flying without broadcasting their locations on routine training flights and not just secret missions.
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“January 29, 2025 made clear what is at stake. The 67 lives lost that day should be honored with an improved system that prevents this from happening again,” the main families group said Tuesday in a new statement. “And the flying public should not have to wait longer than necessary for those protections to be in place.”
Sponsored by Republican Sam Graves and Democrat Rick Larens, the legislation needs to secure two thirds of House support to advance to the Senate. Separate legislation called the ROTOR Act that the Senate crafted came up one vote short in the House. Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell have also said the Alert Act still needs to be improved.
Earlier this year, the NTSB’s Homendy sharply criticized the original version of the bill as a “watered down” measure that wouldn’t do enough to prevent future tragedies. But the board said the revised version would now address the shortcomings their investigation identified and require the Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Department and the military to take needed actions.
National Transportation Safety Board members at a hearing in late January were deeply troubled over years of ignored warnings about helicopter traffic dangers and other problems, long before the collision.
Everyone aboard the American Airlines jet, flying from Wichita, Kansas, and the helicopter died when the two aircraft collided. It was the deadliest plane crash on U.S. soil since 2001, and the victims included 28 members of the figure skating community.
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A helicopter route in the approach path of a Reagan National Airport runway didn’t ensure enough separation between helicopters and planes landing on the airport’s secondary runway, and the route wasn’t reviewed regularly, the board said. The poor design of that route was a key factor in the crash along with air traffic controllers relying too much on pilots seeing and avoiding other aircraft.
The bill now requires planes to have Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast In systems that can receive data about the locations of other aircraft. Proponents of the use of such systems said they would have alerted the pilots of an American Airlines jet sooner about the impending collision with the Black Hawk helicopter. Most planes already have the complementary ADS-B Out systems that broadcast their locations.
The NTSB cited systemic weaknesses and years of ignored warnings as the main causes of the crash, but Homendy has said that if both the plane and the Black Hawk had been equipped with ADS-B In and the systems had been turned on, the collision would have been prevented. The Army’s policy at the time of the crash mandated that its helicopters fly without that system on to conceal their locations, although the helicopter involved in this crash was on a training flight, not a sensitive mission.
