For 15 years after taking Aaron Rodgers with the 24th overall pick in the 2005 draft, the Green Bay Packers did not draft a single skill position player in the first round.
The streak – once the longest in the NFL – ended Thursday night when the Packers traded up to No. 26 overall in the first round and drafted Utah State quarterback Jordan Love, the likely future replacement for Rodgers.
Fifteen years apart, the two quarterbacks are now forever linked, not only as the last two skill positions drafted by the Packers in the first round, but as talented passers arriving in Green Bay to sit and learn behind future Hall of Famers. Like Rodgers with Brett Favre, Love will get a chance to develop – potentially for multiple seasons – behind Rodgers.
Amazingly, the Packers did not take a single running back, receiver or tight end in the first round of drafts in between drafting Rodgers in 2005 and Love on Thursday night. They hit on several second-round receivers, including Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams, but neither Ted Thompson nor Brian Gutekunst has used a first-round pick on a running back, receiver or tight end.
Many assumed the Packers would target a pass-catcher late in the first round, potentially giving Rodgers the playmaker the offense needs to take a step in 2020. Instead, Gutekunst followed in Thompson’s footprints, trading up to get Love with Rodgers still on the roster and playing at a high level.
It’s possible the Packers just missed out on getting a playmaker they really wanted at a position other than quarterback. The Philadelphia Eagles took Jalen Reagor at No. 21, the Minnesota Vikings took Justin Jefferson at No. 22, the Los Angeles Chargers took Kenneth Murray at No. 23 and the San Francisco 49ers took Brandon Aiyuk at No. 25.