Green Bay Packers: Why Ted Thompson Has Been Best Drafting GM of the Past Decade

The Green Bay Packers are a team capable of winning now as well as in the future, perhaps more so than any team in the NFL. Drafting has been key to building this franchise, especially when Ted Thompson took charge as general manager in 2005.

Due to the Packers' success and the structure of their roster, it's hard to argue against Thompson as the best NFL GM in the past decade.

The most noted selection of Thompson's reign has been Aaron Rodgers. From falling to the Packers at pick No. 24 and sitting behind Brett Favre, Rodgers has already won a Super Bowl trophy as well as MVP honors in his four-year stretch as the Green Bay quarterback.

Safe to say he's panned out pretty well, right?

The Packers have capitalized on developing other stars like first-round pick Clay Matthews and second-round selection Greg Jennings.

Thompson hasn't had many easy picks during his time as GM. Throughout his eight drafts, Thompson has only drafted in the top 10 of the first round twice, giving the Green Bay front office heavy responsibility with scouting and analyzing. Thompson made those two top-10 picks count by selecting A.J. Hawk and B.J. Raji to bolster the defense.

The Packers have also made a killing on finding late-round gems like Desmond Bishop (sixth round), T.J. Lang (fourth round) and Jermichael Finley (third round), just to name a few. Thompson even discovered Tramon Williams as an undrafted free agent, as he has now turned into one of the best ball hawks in the NFL.

Even Matt Flynn as a seventh-round pick turned his limited opportunities into gold as the backup to Aaron Rodgers. After playing sparingly, he earned himself a three-year, $26 million deal as the Seattle Seahwaks quarterback.

Thompson's hot streak continued after the Packers were a winner of the 2012 NFL draft. The Packers solidified their defensive line with the additions of Nick Perry and Jerel Worthy.

Thompson has done a tremendous job separating himself from most current GMs in the NFL, especially in the NFC North.

The Detroit Lions are just now finding draft success after the long years of the Matt Millen era. The majority of key pieces on the Chicago Bears' roster were acquired via free agency or trades. The Minnesota Vikings continue to trend down with their draft and overall team success.

A lone name who can be mentioned in the same breath as Ted Thompson right now is Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. However, with Tom Brady not getting any younger, Rodgers might be passing Brady as the best in the game right now, if he hasn't already.

The Packers tasted the sweetness of the Super Bowl in 2010, and threatened to become the next undefeated team during the 2011-12 season. They could potentially match last season's regular-season success for the next half decade-plus.

Ted Thompson has kept the legitimacy of the Packers franchise intact throughout his term as GM. If his success continues, then the league must put Green Bay on notice for the next several years.