Subscribe
Follow Us
The 2020 Green bay Packers could use one of the wide receivers on this list. After a 13-3 regular season that ended in an NFC Championship loss, the Packers failed to get Aaron Rodgers a weapon in the draft.
Davante Adams will once again be the Packers' No. 1 option. They added Devin Funchess on a one-year deal after he missed the 2019 season with an ACL injury. Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Equanimeous St. Brown round out the receiving corps in Green Bay.
It was a head-scratching decision as to why the Packers did not add a receiver in the deepest class in NFL history. Unfortunately, none of these receivers will be back in 2020 but they are part of a rich history for the Packers. Here are the top five receivers in franchise history.
5. Jordy Nelson
The Packers added Nelson in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He joined the team in the same year that Rodgers took over as the full time starter. Nelson caught just six touchdowns over his first three years in the league.
In 2011, Nelson broke out with 68 catches for 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns. Two years later, Nelson totaled 85 catches for 1,314 yards and eight touchdowns. He earned his lone Pro Bowl selected in 2014 with 98 catches for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns. Nelson was one of the most underrated receivers in the league during his time.
Nelson suffered a torn ACL prior to the 2015 season which caused him to miss the entire season. He bounced back in 2016 and led the NFL in receiving touchdowns with 14. Nelson and the Packers parted ways after the 2017 season. He spent one season with the Oakland Raiders before retiring. Nelson currently ranks fifth on the Packers' all time receiving list. He is second in touchdowns with 69 and third in catches with 550.
4. James Lofton
Lofton spent nine years in Green Bay and was effective right away. He was named a Pro Bowler in his rookie season when he finished with 818 yards and six touchdowns. In nine years, Lofton was named to the Pro Bowl seven times and was First Team All-Pro once.
That selection came in 1981. Lofton logged 71 catches for 1,294 yards and eight touchdowns. He played with Bart Starr early on in his career but he made the playoffs just one time in Green Bay. Lofton was an elite receiver with deep ball ability but the team struggled during his tenure. He led the NFL in yards per reception in 1983 with 22.4 and 1984 at 22.
Lofton was one of the longest tenured Packers receivers in history. He finished his career with 9,656 yards in the green and yellow which is second all time. He is also fourth in catches at 530.
3. Sterling Sharpe
The 1988 NFL Draft saw the Packers add Sterling Sharpe from South Carolina with the seventh overall pick. He was taken one spot after Hall of Famer Tim Brown. Sharpe played seven years in the NFL and they were all with the Packers.
It did not take Sharpe long to burst onto the scene. In 1989, Sharpe led the NFL with 90 catches. He logged 1,423 yards and 12 touchdowns. This was one of five Pro Bowl selections for Sharpe and three First Team All-Pro nods. In 1992, Sharpe completed the triple crown for wide receivers. He led the league in catches with 108, receiving yards at 1,461 and 13 touchdowns. In 1993, he led the league in catches once again with 113.
During his time in the NFL, Sharpe played in and started all 16 games in every season. In 1994, Sharpe suffered two stingers in his neck. This injury impacted the top two vertebrae in his neck which caused numbness and tingling in his limbs. Sharpe was forced to retire at age 29.
If Sharpe did not suffer these injuries, he could have landed at No. 1 on this list. He is currently second all time in catches for Green Bay and third in touchdowns and receiving yards. Sharpe is definitely one of the all time greats in Packers history that was forced to retire too soon.
2. Donald Driver
When the Packers drafted Driver in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft, they most likely did not expect what his career turned out to be. Driver totaled just 34 catches over the first three years of his career. He broke out in 2002 with his first Pro Bowl selection.
Driver finished with a career-high nine touchdowns in 2002. This would begin a stretch of seven 1,000 yard seasons in eight years. He quickly turned into one of Brett Favre's favorite targets. Beginning in 2004, Driver was targeted over 100 times six years in a row and over 120 times for four years in a row. The Alcorn State product spent 14 years in Green Bay before hanging up the cleats in 2012.
Driver is the all time leader in Packers' history with 743 catches and 10,137 yards. He is the only receiver in team history to eclipse the 10,000 yard mark.
1. Don Hutson
Hutson is the undisputed best receiver in Packers' history and this will not change anytime soon. He came to Green Bay in 1935 and completely revolutionized the position. Hutson is credited with creating routs like z-outs, buttonhooks, and hook-and-go's. He came into the league with elite speed and that helped change the way passing was viewed.
As a rookie, Hutson led the league in receiving touchdowns and yards per game. His list of accomplishments is incredibly long. Hutson won back-to-back Joe F. Carr awards in 1941 and 1942 given to the league's most outstanding player. He led the league in catches eight times, receiving yards seven times, receiving touchdowns nine times, yards per game eight times, yards from scrimmage three times, and total touchdowns seven times.
Hutson spent 11 years with the Packers and was an All-Pro selection nine times. He was a dynamic receiver with elite speed and incredible hands. At the time of his retirement, Hutson set 18 NFL records. Many have considered Hutson the No. 1 player of the 20th century.
Hutson was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1963. He currently ranks fourth on the Packers' all time receiving list and is fifth in catches. Hutson is the Packers' all time leader in receiving touchdowns with 99. This is 30 more than any other pass catcher in team history. Hutson is not only one of the top receivers in franchise history, but he is one of the best overall players.
