The Green Bay Packers’ 2018 Draft class by the numbers

The 2018 NFL Draft has come and gone, with the Green Bay Packers adding a new crop of hopeful playmakers and early contributors. Heading into the weekend, Green Bay had 12 draft choices, eventually whittling that number down to 11 after the three-day selection period.

In those 11 picks, the Packers continued a few recent draft streaks, re-visited some popular universities, and added a few new wrinkles. Here are a few of those spotlights, by the number.

1

Franchise history was made with a couple of seventh round draft picks this year.

When Green Bay made Hunter Bradley a final round selection, it represented the first time it had drafted a pure long snapper in franchise history. The Mississippi State product will have a chance to earn the starting role in year one.

In addition, the Packers’ last pick Kendall Donnerson became the team’s first pick from Southeast Missouri State. With the selection of Missouri wide receiver J’Mon Moore in the fourth round, the Packers have now made draft choices from four different Missouri schools since 2006. Green Bay drafted Allen Barbre from Missouri Southern in 2007 and Dave Tollefson from Northwest Missouri State in 2006.

8

When Green Bay drafted Cole Madison and James Looney in rounds five and seven, respectively, it marked eight straight years the Packers have chosen a player from the Pac-12 Conference. The Washington State and California players will have opportunities to win rotational roles on the offensive and defensive lines with their versatility as soon as next season.

1978

For a team that has seemingly scouted the entire west coast diligently in the past decade, the Packers had not drafted a Washington State player since 1978. Picking Madison in 2018 erased that streak, giving Green Bay a selection from every Pac-12 school since 1999.

11

Green Bay’s 11 draft selections tied for the most since 2007. The Packers chose 11 players in both the 2007 and 2013 drafts and selected 12 players in 2006.

2003

Wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown earns recognition as the first Notre Dame player drafted by Green Bay since offensive tackle Brennan Curtin in 2003. Coincidentally, both players were sixth round choices by the Pack.

5

The number five carries two interesting factoids in the Packers’ draft history.

The 2018 NFL Draft marked the fifth players selected from both Iowa and California by Green Bay since Aaron Rodgers was drafted in 2005. The two schools entered into a tie with UCLA for the most draft choices by school in that amount of time.

Green Bay has also now grabbed defensive backs with its first two draft selections five times since 1999, adding Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson in 2018. Doing so has not always been kind to the Packers. In that timeframe, Green Bay’s other rather unproductive pairs of selections are as follows:

2018: Alexander and Jackson
2017: Kevin King and Josh Jones
2015: Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins
2004: Ahmad Carroll and Joey Thomas
1999: Antuan Edwards and Fred Vinson

12

For only the second time in 12 drafts, the Packers used a draft pick on a punter or kicker, nabbing punter JK Scott in the fifth round. Green Bay had not drafted a specialist since kicker Mason Crosby in 2007. One would have to go back to 2004 for the last time the Packers drafted a punter: Ohio State’s BJ Sander.

88

Green Bay selected a player at pick 88 overall for the second time in three drafts, taking linebacker Oren Burks in the third round. The Packers took fellow linebacker Kyler Fackrell from the same spot in 2016.

2013

The last time Green Bay had chosen a player from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) was 2013 when it picked Nate Palmer in round six. Green Bay added edge rusher Kendall Donnerson from Southeast Missouri State in 2018. after adding Division II products Charles Johnson and Jeff Janis in 2013 and 2014.

22

Marquez Valdes-Scantling became the Packers draft pick with the most letters in his name since at least 1990, a whopping 22. Unofficially, new Packer Equanimeous St. Brown and former icon Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila hold the spot for second-most letters with 18 apiece.