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The 2020 NFL Draft is just a few days away. It's arguably the most exciting time of the year for fans of football. There is so much to unpack when it comes to the draft. Expect to see teams making trades for draft picks. There could also be some big name players sent away.
Meanwhile, teams will reach for prospects earlier than anyone expected. At the same time, others will fall down the draft board, available much later than anyone anticipated.
And then, of course, comes the debates on who the steals and busts of the draft class were.
Let's take a look at the Green Bay Packers and break down the biggest draft steals in franchise history.
Aaron Rodgers was a first-round pick in 2005, so naming him as one of the top steals in franchise history might seem like a stretch.
However, the Packers got Rodgers with the 24th overall pick.
Looking back at the 2005 draft, of the 23 players picked ahead of him, maybe one team (the Dallas Cowboys) wouldn't be that upset that they missed out on the quarterback. Dallas took DeMarcus Ware with the 11th selection.
Rodgers slipped down the draft board in a way that shocked many. Even though Green Bay had Brett Favre, they couldn't pass up on yet another potentially generational quarterback Favre retired (for a little bit) before the 2008 season. And that meant Rodgers took over.
The quarterback now has 46,946 passing yards while completing 64.6 percent of his passes. He also has 364 touchdown passes compared to just 84 interceptions. Rodgers has also ran for 3,122 yards and 28 more touchdowns on the ground.
Rodgers has won the MVP award twice (2011 and 2014) and has lead the Packers to a Super Bowl win.
Even though he was a first round pick, he had to crack the top-5 to be left off this list. Any time a team can get arguably the most gifted quarterback of all-time, or at least one of the best to ever play his position, that's a steal. Especially considering the Packers got him at 24.
4. Larry McCarren
The Packers selected Larry McCarren in the 12th round (308th overall) of the 1973 NFL Draft. He would go on to be one of their most reliable offensive linemen.
McCarren spent 12 seasons in the NFL, all with the Packers. In that time, he became one of the best centers in franchise history. He appeared in five games his rookie season, starting none. After that, he was a regular fixture, appearing in 162 games in his career and starting 154 of them.
Therefore, after his first season, McCarren would go on to appear in 157 of a possible 176 games in his career. In that time, the center made it to two Pro Bowls. He didn't have any other awards, but was a longtime anchor of the offensive line.
And although he has yet to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, McCarren is in the Packers' Hall of Fame.
With the Packers getting one of the better centers in the NFL at the time for over a decade in the 12th round, it's the very definition of a steal.
3. Bart Starr
For No. 3 on the list, we're going to stick with the very late rounds of another early draft with Green Bay's selection of quarterback Bart Starr in Round 17 (200th overall) of the 1956 NFL Draft.
It took Starr a little while to become the starter, but once that happened he didn't look back. For the first few years, Starr would start some games, but never had the full-time gig. And his numbers weren't great either.
In 1961, though, he appeared in and started all 14 games for the first time in his career. Compared to today's standards, the numbers weren't good. Back then though, football was a bit different, more focused on defense and running. So having a quarterback who could do what Starr was doing made a much bigger difference.
Starr would go on to make four Pro Bowls and win the MVP award in 1966. Most importantly though, he helped rack up wins. Starr led the Packers to three NFL Championships in the pre-Super Bowl era. Then he led them to win the first two Super Bowls. That's a pretty hefty resume.
Starr was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977. Being selected in the 17th round without high expectations, one could argue that's he's not far up enough on this list.
2. Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila
For the final two entrants on the list, we're going a little more recent. Although Starr's career was fantastic and football was different during his time, the numbers still don't look great when reflecting on them through a modern lens.
When it comes to sheer statistical output, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila has to be right near the top. He was selected in the fifth-round with the 149th overall pick by the Packers. Green Bay likely thought they were getting a depth piece for the defensive line. Instead they got one of their most dominant defensive linemen ever.
Gbaja-Biamila spent nine seasons in the NFL, all with the Packers. In that time, he racked up 74.5 sacks. That includes a ridiculous four-year stretch from 2001 through 2004 in which Gbaja-Biamila was unstoppable. In 2001, he racked up 13.5 sacks. The next season saw him record 12. In 2003 he picked up 10 more sacks. And finally, in 2004 he had 13.5 again.
Gbaja-Biamila's last season was 2008, at the age of 31. If he had more football in him he likely could have bloated the numbers even more.
Still, even with a relatively short career, he left his mark. His 74.5 sacks were the most in franchise history when he retired. Clay Matthews (who was drafted in 2009) would go on to break his mark with 83.5 of his own.
Gbaja-Biamila was extremely underrated throughout his career, making just one Pro Bowl. He was a constant menace though, and for a few seasons was one of the very best in the game. Getting him in the fifth round was an absolute steal.
1. Donald Driver
Arguments could be made for a few people to take this top spot. But Donald Driver is the right choice as the Packers' all-time biggest draft-day steal.
Driver was taken in the seventh round (213th overall) in 1999. The Packers didn't use him much in the first few seasons, but he would wind up being one of the best they ever had at wide receiver.
Driver ended up playing 14 seasons in the NFL, all with the Packers. In that time, he racked up 743 receptions for 10,137 yards and 61 touchdowns. He made it to three Pro Bowls and collected one Super Bowl ring during his run.
Driver leads the franchise in receptions — and it's not even close with Sterling Sharpe in second with 595 — and receiving yards. He's also fourth in touchdown receptions.
Those types of numbers would make Driver look like a steal if he was a first-round pick. Instead, the Packers scooped him up in the seventh.
