Packers: Ranking every first-round pick since 2010
Since 2010, the Green Bay Packers have made 11 picks in the first round of the draft. They traded out of the first round in 2017 but picked twice in the opening round in ’19, taking the team’s total to 11.
Which first-round pick has been their best in that time?
Below, we rank every Packers first-round pick since 2010, not including last year’s as it’s too early to tell.
To be determined: Jordan Love
It’s simply too early to tell whether picking Jordan Love was the right move. That goes for every rookie selected a year ago, but especially in Love’s case as he hasn’t played a single snap. Maybe he’ll never develop into a starting quarterback. But perhaps he’s the next Patrick Mahomes. Who knows?
10. Derek Sherrod
Derek Sherrod battled injuries including a broken leg he suffered in his rookie year. Sherrod would only play 20 games for the Packers with just one start in four seasons. He’s been out the league since 2015.
9. Datone Jones
Datone Jones never became the dominant defender the Packers expected, making just nine sacks in four years. He also only started seven out of the 59 games he played. While he became a solid rotational player, Jones was never a difference-maker in Green Bay’s defense.
8. Damarious Randall
Damarious Randall showed promise in his rookie year with 14 pass defenses and three interceptions. While he continued to force turnovers with seven more picks in the following two years, he never fully made the adjustment to cornerback and was beaten too often. The Packers traded Randall after three seasons.
7. Nick Perry
Nick Perry battled injuries throughout his career and never completed a full 16-game season. He did have one dominant year in 2016 with 11 sacks and 16 QB hits, but he failed to post more than four sacks in five out of seven seasons.
6. Rashan Gary
It’s still early in Rashan Gary’s career but he took a big step in the second half of 2020 and looks to be ready for a starting job moving forward. The sacks and pressures increased as the year went on and he saved some of his best football for the playoffs. The future is bright for Gary.
5. Darnell Savage
Similarly, Darnell Savage could soon rise up these rankings. Savage has been a starter in every game he’s played in his first two seasons. Like Gary, he came on strong in the second half of 2020, finishing the year with 12 pass defenses and four interceptions. Part of the PFWA All-Rookie Team in ’19, Savage could see plenty of Pro Bowls in the near future.
4. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
While Ha Ha Clinton-Dix struggled in his final two years in Green Bay, he was excellent in his first three. Clinton-Dix was a turnover machine with 14 interceptions and three forced fumbles in five years. He was a second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2016 but failed to recapture that form in the following seasons before being traded to the Washington Football Team.
3. Kenny Clark
With 18.5 sacks and 28 QB hits over the past four seasons, Kenny Clark has put up excellent stats despite playing nose tackle in Green Bay’s defense. Clark is one of the best defensive linemen in football and was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2019. After signing a new deal, Clark will remain a key piece in this defense for years to come.
2. Bryan Bulaga
How Bryan Bulaga has never made the Pro Bowl is mind-blowing. What Bulaga did do, though, is start 111 games in Green Bay, providing consistent play at right tackle. He’s shut down some of the league’s best pass rushers over the years and was a starter in the Super Bowl-winning team in 2010.
1. Jaire Alexander
An All-Pro and Pro Bowler in only his third season, Jaire Alexander is already one of the league’s top cornerbacks and he’s only 24. Alexander has defended 41 passes and made four interceptions in three seasons. It’s only a matter of time before he’s offered a multi-year contract extension, and well deserved. Alexander is a player to build around on defense.