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The 25 best Packers draft picks of past 25 years, outside first round
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- The 25 best Packers draft picks of past 25 years, outside first round
It's been a pretty profitable quarter-century for the Green Bay Packers in the NFL draft.
As a team that has developed a reputation for building through the draft process, rather than signing big-ticket free agents, the Packers have made 19 playoff appearances since the year 2000 , including a Super Bowl, five additional trips to the NFC championship game and 12 division titles.
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Since the calendar turned to the 21st century, we're betting you can guess the pick we'd rate as the No. 1 selection in the past 26 years. It's Aaron Rodgers in 2005.
But, since the Packers don't have any first-round picks this year, let's take first-rounders out of the equation.
Here's our list of the best, judged on impact but also value in the draft – as in, the lower the pick, the better marks for turning out an impactful player:
25. Christian Watson , wide receiver, second round (No. 34), 2022
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson reacts after making a catch against Carolina.
Is it too soon to add Watson to the list? He does have 133 catches and 2,264 yards with 20 touchdowns for the Packers, and that's despite navigating serious injuries.
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The deep threat from North Dakota State makes him a unique element in the Packers' passing game. It was a tough call to choose him over Jayden Reed , the No. 50 pick in the 2023 draft, for this final spot.
24. Morgan Burnett , safety, third round (No. 71), 2010
Green Bay Packers strong safety Morgan Burnett (42) breaks up a pass intended for New York Giants tight end Will Tye (45) during the 3rd quarter of the Green Bay Packers wild-card playoff game against the New York Giants at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. on Sunday, January 8, 2017. The Packers won 38-13.
Over eight seasons in Green Bay , the Georgia Tech alumnus hauled in nine interceptions, forced eight fumbles and recovered nine more, generally making life miserable for teams trying to pass on the Packers.
23. Mason Crosby , kicker, sixth round (No. 193), 2007
Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby (2) celebrates his game-winning field goal against the Detroit Lions during their footbal game Monday, October 14, 2019, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Green Bay won 23-22. Dan Powers /USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
If you're going to take a kicker ... well, you better not miss.
The kicker from Colorado became almost as constant a staple as Rodgers over 16 seasons, setting the mark for most career points in Packers history and battling through career valleys to continually produce in big moments.
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Sure, kickers may not net the same bottom-line value as draft picks at other positions, but for a generation, the Packers had a reliable option, and you can't always say that about the years since.
22. Romeo Doubs , wide receiver, fourth round (No. 132), 2022
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87) fields a punt during the second quarter of their game against the Philadelphia Eagles Monday, November 10, 2025 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
On the surface, ranking Doubs ahead of his draft classmate, Watson, may cause a raised eyebrow or two. But when you consider the fourth-round value and the production Doubs gave the Packers over four years (202 receptions, 2,424 yards, 59 games played, 21 touchdowns), it's pretty solid stuff.
The Nevada alumnus will play with New England in 2026, but as it stands now, he's third in his draft class in touchdowns (just ahead of Watson, who has played in fewer games because of injury), and he has the most receiving yards of any 2022 draftee from the third round or later.
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21. Tucker Kraft , tight end, third round (No. 78), 2023
Oct 26, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (85) stiff arms Pittsburgh Steelers safety Juan Thornhill (22) during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Kraft was the second tight end selected by the Packers in the 2023 draft, but he's emerged as the star of a draft class that produced numerous Packers contributors. Before an ACL tear truncated his 2025 season, Kraft had become a fully realized weapon in the Packers offense.
The South Dakota State alumnus already has 113 catches, 1,551 yards and 15 touchdowns, and he's no slouch in the blocking game. He's still just 25 years old.
20. James Jones , wide receiver, third round (No. 78), 2007
Green Bay Packers receiver James Jones reels in a pass while being covered by Arizona Cardinals defensive back Antoine Cason during a preseason gameon August 9, 2013, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.
In nine seasons with the Packers, Jones racked up 433 receptions, 5,861 yards and 51 touchdowns, including a league-leading 14 during the 2012 season. He was seldom unavailable, playing in all 16 games in all but two seasons, with 14 and 10 games in the other two.
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Coming from San Jose State, he has the third-most receiving yards of any wideout taken in 2007, behind only Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson and Kansas City 's Dwayne Bowe .
19. Zach Tom , tackle, fourth round (No. 140), 2022
Green Bay Packers tackle Zach Tom blocks New Orleans Saints defensive end Payton Turner.
Tom has become an invaluable asset on the Packers offensive line, and he just turned 27 years old in late March, so there's still plenty of gas in the tank.
The versatile player from Wake Forest appeared in all 17 games in 2023 and 2024, then another 12 last season, often playing right tackle, and he earned a spot on the Pro Football Focus first-team All-Pro squad two seasons ago. Pretty good for a fourth-rounder.
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18. Mike Daniels , defensive tackle, fourth round (No. 132), 2012
Green Bay Packers defensive end Mike Daniels pulls down San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
The 2017 Pro Bowler from Iowa was a wrecking ball in seven seasons in Green Bay, appearing in all 16 games for four straight seasons and 14 during his Pro Bowl campaign.
He had 29 sacks in a Packers jersey and 47 tackles for loss. His 30 career sacks are the most of any player from the draft beyond the top 90 picks, except Malik Jackson of Denver , who finished with 35.5 and was taken at No. 137.
17. Elgton Jenkins , offensive lineman, second round (No. 44), 2019
Green Bay Packers guard Elgton Jenkins prepares to block against the New England Patriots.
About as versatile as they come, Jenkins became a fixture at multiple places on the offensive line, making two Pro Bowls and appearing in 85 games before his 30th birthday just after Christmas of 2025.
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The Mississippi State alumnus immediately started games upon his arrival in Green Bay, and it will be strange to not see Jenkins on the field in 2026 after seven seasons with the Packers.
16. Jermichael Finley, tight end, third round (No. 91), 2008
Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley scores a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers.
It's a case of "what-if" for Packers fans, with a neck injury dramatically shortening what Finley would contribute. But the Texas alumnus was a menace for opponents over his six seasons when he was available, catching 223 passes for 2,785 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Even with the shortened career, only one tight end caught more touchdowns from the 2008 draft ( Martellus Bennett ), and only two had more yards (Dustin Keller and Bennett).
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15. T.J. Lang , offensive lineman, fourth round (No. 109), 2009
A career two-time Pro Bowler (once with Detroit ), Lang was a deeply reliable presence at guard during his nine years with the Packers, including seven as a regular starter.
Despite his fourth-round status, the Eastern Michigan alumnus has the third-most games played of anyone in his draft class.
14. Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, defensive end, fifth round (No. 149), 2000
Green Bay Packers defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila closes in on sack of Chicago Bears quarterback Rex Grossman.
Chosen out of San Diego State, Gbaja-Biamila became the franchise's official all-time sacks leader with 74.5, a record he held until Clay Matthews broke the mark.
He made the Pro Bowl in 2003 and played nine NFL seasons, all in Green Bay, with 124 career starts, 17 forced rumbles and 74 tackles for loss. Today, he's in the Packers Hall of Fame, inducted in 2013.
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13. Scott Wells , center, seventh round (No. 251), 2004
Green Bay Packers center Scott Wells blocks Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Terrell McClain.
It was one of the great "value" picks in Packers history, turning a seventh-round pick into a player who started seven seasons on the offensive line, often at center.
In all, he played in 111 games for the Packers (100 starts), making the Pro Bowl in 2011 and winning a Super Bowl in the 2010 season before joining the Rams for the final three seasons of his career.
With 146 in his career, he racked up the most games played of any offensive lineman selected in the draft. He won't be the last offensive lineman from Tennessee on this list.
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12. Corey Linsley , center, fifth round (No. 161), 2014
The Packers used a fifth-round pick to draft one of the best centers in football, named first-team All-Pro in 2020 and finally making a Pro Bowl in his first year with the Chargers after leaving before the 2021 season.
It was seven rock-solid seasons in Green Bay, though, with 132 starts for the Ohio State product.
11. Mark Tauscher, tackle, seventh round (No. 224), 2000
Green Bay Packers tackle Mark Tauscher tries to block Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers.
Wells wasn't even the first time the Packers had turned a seventh-round pick into a staple on the offensive line. Tauscher, hailing from Auburndale and the University of Wisconsin, spent 11 seasons with the Packers, starting 132 games and appearing in 134.
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He finished his career in 2010 with a Super Bowl ring (though, like Barnett, suffering through injuries that year) and became a staple at right tackle. He was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2018.
10. Aaron Kampman, defensive end, fifth round (No. 156), 2002
The Iowa alumnus played in 112 games for the Packers, making 104 starts, and twice earning a Pro Bowl nod (plus second-team All-Pro both seasons).
He had 58 sacks for the Packers, reaching double digits in those two premier seasons, and posted 66 tackles for loss. The fifth-rounder was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2024.
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He's third in his draft class in sacks, behind only Pro Football Hall of Famers Julius Peppers and Dwight Freeney . He was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2024.
9. Nick Collins , safety, second round (No. 51), 2005
Green Bay Packers safety Nick Collins celebrates his touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.
Like Finley, there's an element of "what-if" here, but Collins already registered a remarkable career when a neck injury derailed the years that were left.
The safety famously returned a pick-six in the Super Bowl, along with the 21 regular-season interceptions in his seven years (and really just barely more than six) with the Packers. Until his injury, he had started all but three games in his Packers career, making three second-team All-Pro teams and three Pro Bowls.
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Not bad for a player out of little-known Bethune-Cookman. He joined the Packers Hall of Fame in 2016.
8. Randall Cobb , wide receiver, second round (No. 64), 2011
Green Bay Packers rookie Randall Cobb returns a punt against the New Orleans Saints.
The Kentucky alumnus made only one Pro Bowl in his career, but Cobb became a staple for Green Bay, first during his eight initial seasons and then for two more seasons in 2021-22.
He tied an NFL record when he returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown in his very first game and never slowed from there, catching 532 passes for the Packers for 6,316 yards and 47 touchdowns. Behind only Julio Jones and A.J. Green , he has the most career receptions of anyone selected in 2011.
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Who can forget Cobb's reception to beat the Bears at the end of the 2013 season?
7. Aaron Jones , running back, fifth round (No. 182), 2017
Jones wasn't even the first running back selected by the Packers in 2017, but he left a lasting legacy, punctuated by a brilliant performance after the 2023 season when Green Bay defeated Dallas in the playoffs.
In seven seasons with Green Bay, the fifth-rounder out of Texas-El Paso ran for 45 touchdowns (including a league-leading 16 in 2019), caught another 18 and ran for nearly 6,000 yards.
His departure was painful for Packers fans when he signed with the Vikings before the 2024 season after Green Bay had signed Josh Jacobs .
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6. Greg Jennings , wide receiver, second round (No. 52), 2006
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings catches a touchdown pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.
The Packers got a good one out of Western Michigan, a player who went on to spend seven seasons in Green Bay, catch 425 passes for 6,537 yards and haul in 53 touchdowns.
In his full career, including years with the Minnesota Vikings , he caught 64 touchdowns, behind only Brandon Marshall and Marques Colston for most in his draft class.
Jennings made two Pro Bowls and caught two touchdowns in Super Bowl XLV. He became a Packers Hall of Famer in 2022.
5. Chad Clifton, tackle, second round (No. 44), 2000
As tough as they came, Clifton played 165 games for the Packers (starting 160), overcoming a serious hip injury at one point to solidify the offensive line.
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The Tennessee alumnus made two Pro Bowls in his 12 years with the Packers. He moved to left tackle during his rookie year and never left, playing that all-important spot for a Super Bowl champion in 2010. He was added to the Packers Hall of Fame in 2016.
According to Pro Football Reference's "weighted career approximate value," he was the sixth-most-valuable player taken in that draft, and two of the players ahead of him ( Tom Brady and Brian Urlacher) are Pro Football Hall of Famers.
4. Jordy Nelson , wide receiver, second round (No. 36), 2008
The familiar refrain has always yo-yoed like this: Folks criticize the Packers for not supplementing their Hall of Fame quarterbacks with first-round receivers. The retort: But look what they've done in the second round.
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The star wideout from Kansas State became a Packers fixture for nine years, catching 69 touchdown passes and 550 passes overall, good for 7,848 yards.
The reliable target for Aaron Rodgers was named second-team All-Pro in 2014 and was named Comeback Player of the Year in 2016 after he missed the preceding season with a torn ACL. Including a touchdown in the Super Bowl, Nelson made a number of massive catches in his career.
He became a Packers Hall of Famer in 2023. His 72 career touchdowns are the most, by far, of anyone in his draft class.
3. Josh Sitton , guard, fourth round (No. 135), 2008
Drafted out of Central Florida in the fourth round, Sitton became one of the most dominant guards in the NFL. He spent eight of his 11 NFL seasons with the Packers, making three Pro Bowls in Green Bay and three times earning second-team All-Pro (including one year in which he didn't make the Pro Bowl).
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He appeared in 121 games for the Packers (112 starts), part of the offensive line that won Super Bowl XLV. In 2023, he was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame.
2. Davante Adams , wide receiver, second round (No. 53), 2014
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams picks up a first down against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
As we were saying, the second round is where the Packers made magic happen in the receiving corps.
Drafted out of Fresno State, Adams didn't start his career looking like a future Hall of Famer, but he went on to make five straight Pro Bowls before the team traded him to the Las Vegas Raiders before the 2022 season (when he made another one).
The three-time first-team All-Pro choice caught 669 passes for the Packers, good for 8,121 yards and 73 touchdowns. His 957 receptions are by far the most in his draft class, plenty more than the eight receivers drafted ahead of him.
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1. David Bakhtiari , tackle, fourth round (No. 109), 2013
Green Bay Packers tackle David Bakhtiari blocks Chicago Bears defensive lineman Rasheem Green.
It's hard to imagine a better selection than drafting a second-team All-Pac-12 player in the fourth round and watching him become arguably the best offensive lineman playing in the NFL at one point.
Coming out of Colorado, Bakhtiari was an immediate gem, a player who started all 16 games that first year and never looked back. He was twice named first-team All-Pro and named second-team three times, with three Pro Bowl appearances sprinkled in.
The rock at left tackle played in 131 games with the Packers, a tally that would have been much higher without the injuries that dramatically shortened the final three years of his career.
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Honorable mention:Running back Eddie Lacy (second round, No. 61, 2013); offensive lineman Daryn Colledge (second round, No. 47, 2006); defensive back Micah Hyde (fifth round, No. 159, 2013); linebacker Na'il Diggs (fourth round, No. 98, 2000); running back Jamaal Williams (fourth round, No. 134, 2017); tackle Rasheed Walker (seventh round, No. 249, 2022); running back James Starks (sixth round, No. 193, 2010); linebacker Desmond Bishop (sixth round, No. 192, 2014); linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (second round, No. 45, 2024)
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Packers' 25 best draft picks in past 25 years, outside first round
