Green Bay Packers: Ted Thompson’s second best draft pick

Dec 24, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson (87) runs past Minnesota Vikings cornerback Captain Munnerlyn (24) after catching a pass in the first quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

In the run up to the Green Bay Packers 2017 NFL Draft, Lombardi Ave’s Freddie Boston and Ray Rivard are counting down Ted Thompson‘s top 30 draft picks during his time as Green Bay Packers general manager.

We ranked Thompson’s top 30 draft picks of all-time last year, as well. You can find that full list here.

How does it compare this year with another season to shape it?

And if you’re interested in Lombardiave.com’s co-editor Freddie Boston’s list … here are his picks …

3. Clay Matthews
4. David Bakhtiari
5. Mike Daniels
6. Josh Sitton
7. T.J. Lang
8. Greg Jennings
9. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
10. Bryan Bulaga
11. Corey Linsley
12. Morgan Burnett
13. Mason Crosby
14. Nick Collins
15. James Jones
16. Ty Montgomery
17. Davante Adams
18. Casey Hayward
19. Randall Cobb
20. Micah Hyde
21. Nick Perry
22. James Starks
23. A.J. Hawk
24. Jermichael Finley
25. B.J. Raji
26. Eddie Lacy
27. JC Tretter
28. Kenny Clark
29. Davon House
30. Jake Ryan

As we count down the days to the 2017 NFL Draft, we continue today with the third best Ted Thompson draft pick over the past 12 years.

Enjoy …

Dec 11, 2016; Green Bay, WS, USA; Green Bay Packers player Jordy Nelson leaves the field following the Packers’ 38 to 10 victory over Seattle at Lambeau Field. Mandatory credit: William Glasheen/Post-Crescent via USA TODAY NETWORK /

Jordy Nelson: Ted Thompson‘s second best Green Bay Packers draft pick

With more than 7,000 yards of total yards from scrimmage, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson has put together a pretty nice career that continues with the team from Packers News.

Despite missing all of the 2015 season, Nelson came back last season with a vengeance, catching 97 balls from Aaron Rodgers for 1,257 yards.

Nelson is not only prolific in his job, but he’s consistent and has always been clutch for the Packers.

Feb 4, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson arrives with his wife Emily Nelson on the red carpet prior to the 6th Annual NFL Honors at Wortham Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

How many times have we seen Nelson tip-toe the sideline and stay inbounds for first down or a touchdown? I know, we certainly can’t count them all.

However, we know what he has brought to this team for the past nearly one decade.

When Ted Thompson traded back into the second round of the 2008 draft to pick Nelson, we all wondered why.

Feb 19, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson sat behind the Wisconsin Badgers bench during the game with the Maryland Terrapins at the Kohl Center. He received an ovation from the fans when he was introduced to the crowd. Wisconsin defeated Maryland 71-60. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports /

Nelson has answered us loud and clear over the past few years with his big plays and consistency.

As a rookie, Nelson started all 16 games of the 2998 season, catching 33 passes for 366 yards and two touchdowns.

Much would be the same for 2009 (22 receptions) and 2010 (45 receptions).

But it was his performance in Super Bowl XLV that turned the tide for Nelson.

Despite several drops on that big stage, Nelson ended up catching nine passes for 140 yards and could have easily won SB MVP had Rodgers not stole the show.

From that point on Nelson has been tearing up the NFL.

In 2011, he caught 68 passes for 1,263 yards (a whopping 18.6-yard average). He also caught 15 touchdowns that season

Though he had a dip in production in 2012 with 49 catches for 745 yards, Nelson once again righted his ship and exploded in 2013 and 2014. In ’13 he caught 85 balls for 1,214 yards (15.5-yard average) and eight touchdowns.

Oct 30, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson (87) runs after a catch against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons defeated the Packers 33-32. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

If you thought he couldn’t do much better, Nelson came back in 2014 with his best year ever. He caught 98 passes for 1,519 yards – a team record. He also scored 13 touchdowns and equaled his catch average from the year before with 15.5 yards per-catch.

Then came the preseason of 2014 when Nelson went down with a freak knee injury at Pittsburgh, placing him on season-ending IR.

We all wondered what the 2016 Nelson would be like. Would he be a tad slower and not up to the comeback task?

He put that all to rest when he caught 97 passes for 1,257 yards and 14 touchdowns – the most of his career. His value to the team and to Aaron Rodgers was most apparent.

In 73 career games, Nelson has 497 catches for 7,366 yards (14.8-yard average), and 63 touchdowns.

Next: Top 30 moments in Green Bay Packers history

Clearly, Nelson is near the top of the heap when it comes Ted Thompson’s best picks. We have him inked in at number two. You might guess who the top pick is … but we’ll talk more about that tomorrow.

Jordy Nelson’s career statistics, courtesy of profootballreference.com:

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