Green Bay Packers: 5 best NFL Draft picks of all-time

Aaron Rodgers (2005: First round, 24th overall)

With the selection of Cal’s Aaron Rodgers with the 24th overall pick in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers made a bold decision that paid off major dividends for the organization.

Brett Favre was still 35 years old at the time, and still had plenty left in the tank of his Hall of Fame career. But Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson, a first-year general manager at the time, decided that Rodgers was a talent that could not be passed up on.

Those instincts could not have been more correct.

Through 11 NFL seasons, and just eight as a full-time starter, Rodgers has put himself in position to go down as the greatest quarterback in team history. With a strong finish to his impressive career, he has the opportunity to join the likes of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Joe Montana in the discussion of the best to ever play the position.

In addition to leading Green Bay to its first Super Bowl victory in more than a decade in 2010, Rodgers has won two NFL MVP Awards, made five Pro Bowl appearances and missed only nine starts since taking over as the starting quarterback in 2008. He also currently possesses the greatest career passer rating in NFL history.

And perhaps most importantly, he has been the driving force behind one of the most consistently successful teams in the league. Aside from a 6-10 campaign during his first season as a starter, the Packers have never failed to make the postseason with Rodgers under center.

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