[tps_header][/tps_header]
It’s draft day, so we’ve got something special for you — the Green Bay Packers all-time top 10 drafts.
Really, who knows better than we do? No one.
Choosing the Packers all-time best drafts was easier than you probably think.
You can pretty much throw out the entire decades of the 1970s and ’80s. The Packers managed to draft one Hall of Fame player in those two decades combined — James Lofton in 1978. However, that draft didn’t make the cut because linebacker Mike Douglass was the only other player worth more than a bag of Cheetos.
Vince Lombardi made some good picks in the ’60s, but he acquired a lot of the guys on those championship teams through trades and, as you’ll see, some of Lombardi’s best players were there before he arrived.
Ron Wolf’s biggest acquisitions were via trade (Brett Favre) and free agency (Reggie White). In fact, Wolf was much more noted for his free agent acquisitions than his drafts.
We’re not trying to lead you to believe our main man Ted Thompson, who only builds through the draft, is going to be featured heavily on this list, though. Most of Thompson’s draft classes are either too fresh to judge or noteworthy only in their blandness.
In fact, we’re going to bet you’ll be surprised at who presided over the best draft in Green Bay Packers history.
Before we get to it, we’re handing out a couple honorable mentions to two Ron Wolf classes, since he won’t have any on the list (and these two just missed the cut).
Arguably Wolf’s best class came in 1995, when he chose William Henderson (3rd), Antonio Freeman (3rd) and Adam Timmerman (7th). Henderson and Freeman were Pro Bowlers in a class that also produced long-time starters Craig Newsome (1st) and Brian Williams (3rd).
We say arguably because Wolf also had a solid class in 1992, when he took Robert Brooks (3rd), Edgar Bennett (4th) and three-time Pro Bowler Mark Chmura (6th). Those were three big-time contributors to the Packers success throughout the 1990s.
Now, on with the list.
All of the 50s drafts were the work of wonder boy jack vainisi.
You’re correct. That’s why he’s in the Packers Hall.
Were the drafts in the late 50’s and early 60’s that great, or were those players just lucky enough to play under Vince Lombardi?
How many of these guys go to the Hall of Fame without winning multiple championships under Lombardi?
I know Bart Starr, for one, never gets anywhere near the Hall until Lombardi walked through that door. Even a spectacular athlete like Herb Adderley probably never makes the Hall without being switched to CB under Lombardi.
I think a great case can be made that 2010 is Ted Thompson’s best draft. No Pro Bowls as of yet, and likely no Hall of Famers from this group. However, 7 picks (the least of any Thompson draft) and all 7 are still on the team. All 7 have started multiple games for the Packers, including 5 of the 7 being starters right now.
That wouldn’t be very impressive if the team wasn’t very good. However, the Packers have the best record in the NFL since these guys were drafted. They’ve won one Super Bowl, two division titles, and 5 playoff games in 3 seasons.