Packers: Top 10 draft picks during Aaron Rodgers era
The Green Bay Packers have made some great, and plenty of bad draft picks since Aaron Rodgers became the starting quarterback.
Earlier this week, I ranked every Packers first-round pick from the Rodgers era. Today, we look at the top 10 draft picks from any round.
There are a few factors to be considered, including their Packers career and the round they were selected in.
Ranking the top 10 is close to impossible. There are so many great players who just missed out. But here we go.
10. EDGE Rashan Gary (Round 1, 2019)
Currently one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, Gary was a home-run pick by the Packers in 2019, and he still has years of great football ahead of him.
9. G T.J. Lang (Round 4, 2009)
Lang was a rock-solid starting guard for the Packers, featuring in 119 games. He was a Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion in Green Bay.
8. G Josh Sitton (Round 4, 2008)
Another great fourth-round pick on a guard. Together, Sitton and Lang gave Green Bay dominant play at the interior spots on the offensive line. During his eight seasons with the Packers, Sitton was an All-Pro three times and a Pro Bowler three times.
He also won a Super Bowl in 2010.
7. C Corey Linsley (Round 5, 2014)
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin said he was “gonna pray” for Linsley, a fifth-round rookie making his NFL debut on the road against a dominant Seattle defense in Week 1 of the 2014 season.
There was no need. Linsley showed his quality that night and became a dominant center for the Packers, starting 99 games and becoming a first-team All-Pro.
Not bad for a fifth-round pick.
6. RB Aaron Jones (Round 5, 2017)
The 2017 NFL Draft was mostly one to forget for the Packers, but they hit a home run in the fifth round by selecting Jones.
Jones is third in Packers franchise history for rushing yards and fourth for rushing touchdowns. He has three 1,000-yard seasons, went to the Pro Bowl in 2020, and led the NFL in rushing touchdowns in 2019.
5. CB Jaire Alexander (Round 1, 2018)
Brian Gutekunst’s first draft pick as Packers general manager was Jaire Alexander, and he hit it out of the park.
Alexander has 58 pass defenses, 10 interceptions, two Pro Bowls, and two second-team All-Pro honors to his name in his first five seasons. He is one of the league’s top cornerbacks and is only 25 years old.
4. WR Jordy Nelson (Round 2, 2008)
A Packers legend. Nelson caught 550 passes for 7,848 yards and 69 touchdowns during his time in Green Bay. An All-Pro, Pro Bowler, Super Bowl champion, and now a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
3. WR Davante Adams (Round 2, 2014)
The greatest wide receiver to ever play with Aaron Rodgers. Adams is having a Hall-of-Fame career. His 8,121 receiving yards rank fourth in Packers franchise history, and his 73 touchdown catches rank second.
During his time in Green Bay, Adams was named a first-team All-Pro twice and a Pro Bowler five times.
2. T David Bakhtiari (Round 4, 2013)
The Packers drafted a future Hall-of-Famer in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Bakhtiari has started 130 games for Green Bay and has consistently played at an elite level. He is a five-time All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowler.
Despite missing almost the entire 2021 season due to injury, Bakhtiari got back to his dominant best this year.
1. EDGE Clay Matthews (Round 1, 2009)
Twice an All-Pro, six times a Pro Bowler, and a key player in the Packers’ Super Bowl run in 2010, Matthews is an all-time great. Matthews made 83.5 sacks, 189 quarterback hits, 15 forced fumbles, six interceptions, and scored two touchdowns during his 10-year career in Green Bay. Legendary.