Green Bay Packers: The top 5 moves made by GM Ted Thompson
By Matt George
5. Staying away from free agency … for the most part
While many teams are aggressive and even over-aggressive in free agency, Thompson couldn’t be more opposite.
He believes on building his team through the draft, developing those players and making sure to keep them before they hit the free agent market.
When Thompson arrived in Green Bay a little over 10 years ago, he inherited a mess left by Mike Sherman. If you look at players drafted under Sherman, the number of those who didn’t pan out outweigh those who contributed to the team’s success.
In the last six seasons, the Packers have 67 wins and have made the playoffs each year. Thompson’s teams have won a Super Bowl and have played in three NFC championships. The biggest reason for Green Bay’s continued success is solely because of Thompson’s drafting success.
Thompson has drafted the most players (104) of any team since he first arrived in Green Bay. Those Packers’ draft picks have led the league in starts (1,860) and games played (3,267).
In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find a Packer on the current roster who wasn’t picked in the draft. Other than Julius Peppers who was signed in free agency, can you think of another Packer offthe top of your head?
Some of the Packers players who became NFL stars when drafted under Thompson include Nick Collins, Josh Sitton, Clay Matthews, B.J. Raji, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Greg Jennings, Eddie Lacy, Jermichael Finley and of course, Aaron Rodgers.
Thompson certainly has a craft when evaluating talent and he just might be the best in the business in drafting NFL players.
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