Green Bay Packers: Titletown's Top 5 Tight Ends of All Time

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Receivers who lined up on the end of the line of scrimmage were originally known as ends, and it wasn't until the late 1950s that the tight end, a hybrid position of blocking and pass catching, came into existence.

Since that time, the Green Bay Packers have had a few skilled men that have excelled at multitasking as a lineman and receiver.

Originally, tight ends were mainly ferocious blockers. However, it seems the position has made a transition to harness the skills of oversized wideouts, and now, blocking is only a secondary skill.

If you need an example, look at Jermichael Finley, the Packers current TE. He is too athletic for linebackers to cover and too big for cornerbacks to contain.

Anyway, Finley may find himself on this list sometime soon, but here are Titletown's top five tight ends as of today.

Honorable Mention: Marv Fleming

Marv Fleming is best known for being the first player to appear in five Super Bowls, and he is often recognized as combining with Ron Kramer to create one of the best tight end tandems of his time.

After seven seasons with the Pack, Fleming had picked up 1,300 yards and 12 TDs, but his stats don't show his solid contributions as a blocker.

5. Ed West

Edward "the Toolbox" West was undrafted when he came to the Pack in 1984, yet he still played 11 solid seasons in Green Bay and caught 25 touchdown passes.

In an impressive 167 games as a Packer, West racked up 2,321 yards and was one of the best blocking tight ends in the team's recent history.

4. Mark Chmura

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Mark Chmura, also a three-time Pro Bowler, played for the Packers his entire seven-year career and was recently inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame.

Chmura contributed greatly in the team's two Super Bowl runs of the 1990s with both his toughness as a blocker and his ability to reel in receptions while bruising the opposing secondary.

When he was released by the Packers in 2000 after complications from spinal injuries, he had gained 2,253 yards and scored 17 TDs.

3. Bubba Franks

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Daniel "Bubba" Franks was a reliable receiving tight end for the Packers during the early 2000s when he made three trips to the Pro Bowl.

Franks' size made him a viable threat in the end zone. He scored over 7 TDs in three of his eight seasons in Green Bay and finished only behind Paul Coffman among tight ends in the team's record books with 32 TDs. 

However, Franks' was released in 2008 after his last three seasons with the Pack were tarnished by injuries, but not before he had established himself as one of Titletown's top three tight ends of all time.

2. Ron Kramer

Ron Kramer was selected to only one Pro Bowl in his sevens seasons with the Packers, but his contributions to the championship teams of the early 1960s were undeniable.

Kramer excelled at run blocking and his combination of speed and athleticism allowed him to emerge as one of the first top receiving tight ends.

He finished his career with the Detroit Lions, but Kramer is now a member of the Packers Hall of Fame as he totaled 2,594 yards and 15 TDs while wearing the green and gold.

1. Paul Coffman

Paul Coffman is arguably the best overall tight end in Green Bay's history, but he's undoubtedly the top pass catching tight end that the Pack has ever seen.

Coffman played in Titletown for nearly a decade and earned three trips to the Pro Bowl during the early 1980s.

While he wasn't the biggest of tight ends at 6'3'', Coffman still managed to grab a whopping 39 touchdown passes and gather 4,223 yards, both of which are team records that still stand among tight ends.

Despite going undrafted out of Kansas State, Paul Coffman became quite the producer for the Pack and found his way into the team's Hall of Fame as well as the top spot among the team's tight ends..