Best Green Bay Packers player to wear No. 95 won DPOY the year after he left the team

Welcome back to our series covering the greatest Green Bay Packers players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.

Well, we've reached the back half of the final group here in the 90s, and we inch closer to the end of our journey with a player at No. 95 who was a solid player for the Packers for a few years but had his best years elsewhere.

But before we break all that down, let's first have a look at everyone who's worn No. 95 for the Green & Gold over the years.

Tony Degrate, DT
Howard Green, DT
Datone Jones, DE
Tyler Lancaster, DL
Keith McKenzie, DE
Daniel Muir, DT
Bryce Paup, LB
Carl Sullivan, DE
Rod Walker, DT
Steve Warren, DT
Devonte Wyatt, DT

As you can see, this isn't a lengthy list by any stretch, and outside of our selection, there aren't many big-time contributors here, as evidenced by the fact that the runner-up slot here at No. 95 would have to go to defensive end Datone Jones, who spent four seasons in Green Bay from 2013 to 2016, tallying 81 total tackles and 9.5 sacks in 67 appearances between the regular season and postseason, only starting seven of those games.

So, with all due respect, that's what we're dealing with here.

But we still have to pick a winner, of course, and the only logical call here is linebacker Bryce Paup.

Bryce Paup tallied 32.5 sacks in five years with the Packers before going on to win Defensive Player of the Year with the Bills

After spending his collegiate career at the University of Northern Iowa, Paup was taken by Green Bay in the sixth round of the 1990 NFL Draft with the 159th overall selection.

He appeared in just five games as a rookie, playing mostly on special teams, and while he only got one start in his second season, he became a much bigger part of the linebacker rotation and ended the year with 7.5 sacks, good for the second-most on the team behind only Tony Bennett's 13.0.

In 1992, the 6-foot-5, 250-pounder made 10 starts and again finished second to Bennett in sacks, ending the campaign with 6.5, and he had his true breakout year in 1993, recording 11.0 sacks, again finishing second on the squad, this time behind only the 13.0 tallied from the legendary Reggie White. He added another during the Packers' playoff run.

While Paup was robbed of a Pro Bowl selection in '93, he did earn one in 1994 after recording another 7.5 sacks, while also adding a career-high three interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. He then added another pair of sacks and another pick in the postseason.

But that turned out to be his final season in Green Bay, as the front office failed to even offer him a contract in free agency, a move then-GM Ron Wolf later said was a mistake.

Paup ultimately signed with the Buffalo Bills and indeed proved the Packers had made a mistake in letting him walk, as he tallied a career-high 17.5 sacks en route to earning a second straight trip to the Pro Bowl and a First-Team All-Pro selection, while also winning Defensive Player of the Year. He earned Pro Bowl berths in each of the next two years with Buffalo before closing out his career playing two years with the Jacksonville Jaguars and one final season with the Minnesota Vikings.

In his five seasons in Titletown, Paup amassed 225 total tackles, 32.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and four interceptions, figures that easily make him the greatest Packers player to wear No. 95.

Other Green Bay Packers jersey honorees

This list will be updated daily until all 100 entries are complete, so be sure to check back in with Lombardi Ave for updates.

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Bryce Paup tallied 32.5 sacks in five years with the Packers before going on to win Defensive Player of the Year with the Bills

Other Green Bay Packers jersey honorees

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