How many Packers rank among NFL's best draft picks at every draft spot?

USA Today

a day ago

In a perfect piece of post-minicamp and pre-training camp content, ESPN's Ben Solak set out to identify the "best NFL draft pick" at every draft slot between No. 1 and No. 262 overall. It was a tough exercise, to be sure, and one that will stir up plenty of debate.
How many Green Bay Packers were picked? Probably more than you'll expect, but the big snub is most likely the thing you'll remember from Solak's list.
Here are some Packers-related notes from the post:
-- Solak picked safety Ed Reed over Aaron Rodgers at No. 24. Interesting choice. Reed might have a case for being the best safety in NFL history, but Rodgers is -- at the very least -- a top-10 NFL quarterback with a Super Bowl title and four MVPs. Tough to argue that this pick should be anyone but Rodgers, a future Hall of Famer and a defining player at the game's toughest and most important position.
-- Brett Favre was the easy pick at No. 33.
-- At No. 48 overall, LeRoy Butler got the nod over other Hall of Famers Howie Long and Dwight Stevenson. Helping invent the "Lambeau Leap" helped Butler make the list.
-- Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Blount was the pick over Davante Adams at No. 53. No arguments here, but Adams might have a better case once his decorated career is over.
-- Solak picked receiver Keenan Allen over Ahman Green at No. 76. Green wasn't a draft pick of the Packers, but he ended up as the leading rusher in franchise history. Considering he was a truly elite player during his prime (check his numbers between 2000-2003), Green probably should have been the pick.
-- At No. 87, Patriots defensive tackle Tim Goad was the pick over cornerback Mike McKenzie, who intercepted 15 passes over six seasons in Green Bay and finished his career with 28 picks in 11 seasons.
-- At No. 90, quarterback Matt Schaub was the pick over receiver Antonio Freeman, one of the most productive pass-catchers in Packers history.
-- Packers legend Jimmy Graham was the pick at No. 95.
-- Guard Jahri Evans, who played one season in Green Bay, was the easy pick at No. 108. One pick later, left tackle David Bakhtiari was the easy pick at No. 109. They played next to each other during the 2017 season.
-- Former Packers coach Kevin Greene was the pick at No. 113.
-- Quarterback Mark Brunell, a draft pick of the Packers who went on to be a successful starter in Jacksonville, got the nod at No. 118.
-- Bengals cornerback Ken Riley was the pick over guard Josh Sitton at No. 135 overall.
-- Running back Dorsey Levens, who produced two 1,000-yard rushing seasons for the Packers, was the pick at No. 149.
-- He wasn't picked by the Packers, but cornerback Al Harris was the pick at No. 169.
-- Safety Mark Prior, who finished his career with the Packers, was the pick at No. 176.
-- Linebacker Rich Wingo, a draft pick of the Packers in 1979, was the pick at No. 184.
-- Quarterback Matthew Hasselbeck, a draft pick of the Packers who went on to be a successful starter in Seattle, got the nod at No. 187.
-- Kicker Mason Crosby, the franchise's all-time leader in points, was the pick at No. 193.
-- Receiver Donald Driver, the franchise's all-time leader in receptions, was the pick at No. 213.
-- Receiver Mark Clayton, who played his final NFL season in Green Bay, was the pick at No. 223.
-- Quarterback Don Majkowski, the last starting quarterback in Green Bay before the Favre-Rodgers-Love run, was the pick at No. 255.