5 best first-round draft picks in Green Bay Packers’ history feat. Aaron Rodgers

The Green Bay Packers' brilliant and calculative team-building is one of the reasons for their century-long success in the NFL. As seen with Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers in recent years, the team always finds another outstanding player to replace a retiring and aging star.

The NFL draft has been largely responsible for Green Bay's success in team-building. Over the years, the franchise has produced some outstanding first-round draft pulls, setting the stage for the team's sustained success.

Here, we'll examine the five best first-round picks the Packers have ever made.

Ranking the Green Bay Packers’ best first round picks in history

#5 - Sterling Sharpe (wide receiver)

The Green Bay Packers selected Sterling Sharpe with the seventh overall pick in the 1988 NFL Draft, and he started all 112 of the Green Bay Packers' regular-season games while he was there.

A neck injury ended Sharpe's career prematurely, yet he was selected to five Pro Bowls in seven years and was named to the First-team All-Pro three times.

One of just three receivers in the league's history to have 575+ receptions, 8,000+ receiving yards, and 65+ receiving touchdowns in their first seven yards, Sharpe recorded 595 catches for 8,134 yards and 65 scores during his career.

#4 - Dave Robinson (linebacker)

After being selected with the 14th overall draft pick in 1963, Dave Robinson played a significant role in the Packers' defense, which won three straight NFL titles in the 1960s.

The former Penn State linebacker was skilled at dealing with the opposition's passing offense in addition to halting the run. During his time with the Packers, he recorded 21 interceptions, including five in 1966.

Robinson appeared 127 times during his 10 years in Green Bay, started 103 of them, intercepted 21 passes, and recovered 12 fumbles. He also had nine starts in the playoffs.

Robinson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

#3 - Nick Barnett (linebacker)

Nick Barnett, who was selected by the Packers with the 29th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, spent eight years in Green Bay and led the team in tackles five times, including in 2005, when he set a franchise mark of 194 total tackles in a single season.

He was also dominant for the Buffalo Bills in his two seasons there, but his tenure with the Packers, where he helped guide the team to its fourth Super Bowl trophy in 2010, is what many remember him for the most.

#2 - Clay Matthews (linebacker)

Clay Matthews filled in at every linebacker position for the Packers from 2009 to 2018, playing both as an off-ball outlet along the middle and also as an edge rusher.

After leaving USC, Matthews spent 10 seasons in Green Bay after being selected by the Packers with the 26th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He was selected to six Pro Bowls, won one Super Bowl, was named to the First-team All-Pro, and was named the league's top linebacker in 2010 when he received the Butkus Award. He also had 83.5 career sacks with the Packers, which is the team's highest in history.

#1 - Aaron Rodgers (quarterback)

Aaron Rodgers was the starting quarterback for 15 of his 18 years in Green Bay. In addition to winning four MVP awards, he guided the team to four NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl victory.

After being selected with the 24th overall pick in 2005, Rodgers guided Green Bay to the franchise's most successful season in 2011, when they won 15 games. He also led the team to consistent success as a starter, leading them to the postseason in 11 of his 15 years as the QB1.

Rodgers was named to the First-team All-Pro four times during his tenure in Green Bay in addition to his 10 Pro Bowls. It was his illustrious run with the team that has earned him the distinction as one of the greatest in his generation.