Packers: Ranking the top eight draft picks since 2000
7. Mason Crosby, 2007
I know what you may be wondering, a kicker? And yes, you read correctly. The kicker position has become one of the most sought-after in the league purely because of how much of a weapon they have become.
A prime example of this would be Evan McPherson, who was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals last season and has made a huge impact. McPherson made five game-winning field goals in the 2021 season, which includes a game-winner against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.
Rarely do teams find kickers who are consistent and stay on the same team for years. The modern game is a cutthroat business and if a kicker misses too many attempts, they can be sent packing the same week and replaced a few days after.
However, with Mason Crosby, it is different. He has been a staple and consistent kicker.
The only exceptions are the season that just went and 2012, which saw Crosby post some of the worst numbers in his entire career. In 2012, Crosby made only 63% of his field goals and since then has only dropped below 75% once.
Crosby, however, has shown time and again that he can be clutch when it matters most. For example, in the 2016 divisional game against the Dallas Cowboys, he made a 56-yard attempt to bring the Packers ahead 31-28.
When Dallas tied on the next drive, Crosby was brought on again to send the Packers into the NFC Championship game. He made the 51-yard kick but Dallas iced him at the last moment. Crosby, who looked as cool as ever, stepped up and made the kick to send the Packers into the next round.
Oh, and this all happened in the last two minutes of the game.
He also has many accolades with the Packers but has surprisingly never made it to the Pro Bowl, which surprised many in 2020 when he made 100 percent of his field-goal attempts.
Crosby is number #1 on the all-time franchise scoring list for the Packers with 1,806 career points and holds the all-time franchise record in field goals which is 370. Mason has also never missed a game for the Packers and has featured in 241.
No matter how you look at it, the Packers would not have won a majority of games without this man and his leg. #KickersArePeopleToo
6. Greg Jennings, 2006
Greg Jennings was a very important piece to the success of the Packers’ passing game and was a key weapon for Aaron Rodgers between the years 2006 and 2011.
In this time frame, Jennings won the Super Bowl with the Packers in 2010 and had a great performance with two TDs and 64 yards receiving.
His career in Green Bay only lasted seven seasons, but in that time he was selected to two Pro Bowls, one in 2010 and one in 2011.
Jennings was in the top 10 in receiving touchdowns in the years 2007, ’08, ’10 and ’11. In receiving yards, Jennings was rated in the top 10 in both 2008 and ’10. His short time with the Packers will never be forgotten in Packers fans’ hearts.
Even though he went to the Vikings for two seasons…
5. Nick Collins, 2005
Nick Collins was one the best safeties of his era and was a key piece to the Packers’ success in the early 2000s.
In the Super Bowl-winning team of 2010, Collins made a clutch play, returning a pick for a touchdown.
The former Bethune–Cookman Wildcat was selected as a three-time second-team All-Pro between the years 2008-10 and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection in those same three seasons.
Collins was on his way to becoming a Hall-of-Famer before a career-ending neck injury cut that dream short in 2011.
In seven seasons for the Packers, Collins had 21 interceptions, which have led to him becoming a member of the Packers Hall of fame.
Without his presence on defense, the Packers would not have won a Super Bowl. That is worth a hell of a lot and shows just how valuable he was to this franchise and why this pick was one of the best of the last two decades.