History Shows Importance of Packers Moving to 13th in Rodgers Trade

What difference does two spots make in the NFL Draft? Quite a bit – and perhaps more than you thought.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Apr 26, 2023 2:02 PM EDT

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With their trade of Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets, the Green Bay Packers moved up from 15th to 13th in the first round of the NFL Draft.

How big of a deal is two picks?

Huge, historically speaking.

There have been 53 drafts since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. The difference in caliber of player is shockingly large.

Here’s the data from Stathead.

Hall of Famers

No. 13: Three – tight end Tony Gonzalez (1997), tight end Kellen Winslow (1979) and running back Franco Harris (1972). Someday, defensive tackle Aaron Donald (2014) will make it four.

No. 15: Zero – and none on the way.

First-Team All-Pros

No. 13: 12 – Donald (seven), Gonzalez (six), Winslow (three), tight end Keith Jackson (three), offensive tackle Mike Kenn (two), defensive end John Abraham (two), running back Eric Metcalf (two), defensive tackle Keith Millard two), linebacker Takeo Spikes (one), offensive tackle Jamaal Brown (one), offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (one) and Harris (one). That’s a total of 31 All-Pro seasons.

No. 15: 4 – Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (two), defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (one), linebacker Derrick Johnson (one) and linebacker John Mobley (one). That’s a total of five All-Pro seasons.

Pro Bowlers

No. 13: 29, including 19 to at least two Pro Bowls, 12 to at least three and eight to at least four. In all, 54.7 percent of the No. 13 picks were selected to at least one Pro Bowl.

No. 15: 17, including 12 to at least two Pro Bowls, six to at least three and five to at least four. In all, 32.1 percent of the No. 15 picks were selected to at least one Pro Bowl.

Six-Plus Starting Seasons

No. 13: 29, including 14 for eight-plus seasons and eight for 10-plus seasons.

No. 15: 24, including 12 for eight plus seasons and nine for 10-plus seasons. The 10-plus-season starters is the only edge that No. 15 has over No. 13.

Recent History

No. 13: Ten players played in the NFL last season. The last 10 selected at this slot have combined to start 692 games, with eight combining for 21 Pro Bowls.

Last year’s No. 13 pick, defensive tackle Jordan Davis, was not a starter for the Eagles. Otherwise, the last eight players taken 13th – Chargers offensive tackle Rashawn Slater, Wirfs, Dolphins defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne, Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick, Texans offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, Saints offensive tackle Andrus Peat and Donald – were starters in 2022.

No. 15: Eight players played in the NFL last season. The last 10 selected at this slot have combined to start 670 games, with three combining for six Pro Bowls.

However, only four players selected 15th started last season: Texans guard Kenyon Green, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy and Raiders offensive tackle Kolton Miller.

When he spoke to reporters on Monday, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst couldn’t go into specifics on the trade. But, clearly, there’s a reason why he asked the Jets for a pick-swap as part of the trade.

“If I were to do that,” he said of moving from 15th to 13th, “I'd be doing it because I thought it were important.”

For what it’s worth, the Packers have picked twice from the No. 15 slot since 1970, with linebacker Wayne Simmons and running back Eddie Lee Ivery. The Packers haven’t picked 13th since 1966, when they landed five-time Pro Bowl guard Gale Gillingham.