5 former Packers next in line for a Hall of Fame induction
By Joe Tuman
Linebacker Clay Matthews
Another Thompson draft pick, Clay Matthews was the face of Green Bay's defense during his entire run with the organization.
Selected 26th overall in 2009, Matthews excelled from the jump by getting to opposing quarterbacks 10 times as a rookie. He followed this up with 13.5 sacks in the team's Super Bowl-winning 2010 season.
From here, he continued as the driving force of the Packers' pass rush, while also proving a selfless leader. His stint at inside linebacker during sections of 2014 and 2015, when the team needed help at the position desperately, proved this.
It's fair to question whether Matthews could've added even more sacks to his name had he not sacrificed and adjusted in those years.
Ultimately, he finished his career with 91.5 sacks, 44 pass deflections and 519 tackles in 156 contests. He played for the Packers until 2018, and spent one season with the Rams after that.
A two-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, Matthews was one of the NFL's truly elite pass rushers in the mid-2010s.
And though he may be more interested in his father's possible entry into Canton than his own, that doesn't take away from the younger Matthews' own fantastic accomplishments.