The BEST Green Bay Packers First-Round Draft Picks of the Last 50 Years

The following year, Sharpe caught 112 passes becoming the first player to have caught more than 100 passes for 2 years in a row.

He and Brett Favre, led the Packers to their first playoff game of the 90s. The Packers defeated the Detroit Lions that day on a last-minute Favre to Sharpe 40-yard touchdown pass—his third of the game.

in 1994, despite playing with very painful turf toe, Sharpe was having another outstanding year when he suffered a neck injury in a December game. He was cleared to play the following week but had to leave the game once again with severe pain in his neck.

He was later diagnosed as having damaged two vertebrae in his neck and would require surgery to fuse the vertebrae. After successful surgery, Sharpe considered returning to the NFL, but the neither the Packers nor any other team were willing to take the chance of Sharpe suffering a debilitating injury.

Sharpe was forced to retire after only seven seasons with the Packers.

Sharpe was an extremely intense individual, both on and off the field. Unhappy with how the press treated him his rookie year and feeling that dealing with the press interfered with his focus, Sharpe refused to grant interviews throughout his career.

He says he has no regrets, although it was a bit ironic that he went on to work for ESPN.

Sharpe was selected to the Pro Bowl in five of his seven seasons with the Packers and is a member of the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame. If not for that career-ending injury, I am sure that Sharpe would be looked at today as one of the greatest receivers of all time.

 

James Lofton, WR—1978—Selected sixth overall

6'3", 187 lbs.

Out of the University of Stanford, James Lofton was a second-team All-American, Academic All-American, and a national long-jump champion.

Mostly a track athlete, Lofton wasn't even a football starter until his senior year.  Stanford coach Bill Walsh saw his potential and decided to feature him in the offense. As a senior in 1977, Lofton caught 57 passes for 1,010 yards (17.72 yards per reception average) with 14 touchdowns.

Drafted by the Packers, Lofton was an instant starter. His speed and “soft hands” made him a premier deep-threat receiver from the moment he entered the pros.

In his rookie year with the Packers, Lofton caught 46 passes and averaged 17.8 yards per catch. Those first-year numbers are very telling, as they are almost exactly what Lofton would average over his 16 season NFL career.

Lofton spent his first nine seasons with the Packers. During that time, Lofton caught 530 passes for 9.656 yards and 49 touchdowns.

In 1987, Lofton left Green Bay for a two-year stay with the Los Angeles Raiders, followed by four seasons with the Buffalo Bills and brief stints with the L.A. Rams and Philadelphia Eagles before his retirement following the 1993 season.

In his 16 NFL seasons, Lofton caught 764 passes for 14,004 yards and 75 touchdowns. He averaged 20 yards per catch or more in five seasons, leading the league in 1983 and 1984 with an average of 22.4 and 22 yards respectively.

James Lofton was named to the Pro Bowl eight times, including seven with the Green Bay Packers. He is a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

 

Herb Adderley, RB—1961—Selected 12th overall

6'0", 205 lbs.

Out of Michigan State University, Adderley was a star running back for the Spartans. He arrived on the scene in Green Bay expecting to continue in that vein, but found future Hall-of-Famers Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung squarely in his path.

Well into the season and unlikely to find him any playing time at running back, Vince Lombardi put Adderley in as an emergency replacement for injured cornerback Hank Gremminger. Adderley turned out to be a natural at the position and stayed there from that point on.

Adderley's athleticism and instinctual nose for the football helped him intercept 47 passes during his career, returning seven for touchdowns.

Besides playing cornerback, Adderley also used his running back skills to his advantage as a kick returner. He returned 120 kicks for the Packers, averaging 25.7 yards per return.

Adderley played for the Green Bay Packers from 1961-1969. He later went on to play with the Dallas Cowboys for three years and retired at the end of the season in 1972.

Adderley played in four Super Bowls—winning three—and was on five Green Bay Packer World Championship teams including the first two Super Bowls.

Adderley is quoted as saying, "I'm the only man with a Dallas Cowboys' Super Bowl ring who doesn't wear it. I'm a Green Bay Packer."

Adderley is a member of the Green Bay Packer and Pro Football halls of fame. One of only 20 defensive backs in the Hall, he is considered by many to be the greatest cornerback to ever have played the game of football.

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