Ranking the Green Bay Packers Last 10 First-Round Picks, Worst to Best

4. Rashan Gary, EDGE, 2019

Green Bay hired Matt LaFleur as their new head coach in 2019 which brought a lot of excitement. LaFleur was known for his work with quarterbacks and was a valued member of the Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan coaching tree. Ironically enough, their focus wasn't on fixing the offense when he arrived. Instead, they began working on building an elite defensive roster.

The Packers signed Za'Darius Smith to a four-year, $66 million contract to be their primary pass rusher. They also signed Preston Smith to a four-year, $52 million deal to play opposite Za'Darius Smith. As if that wasn't enough proof they intended to get after the opposing quarterback, they used the 12th pick in the NFL Draft on Michigan's Rashan Gary.

Gary played defensive end for the Wolverines but moved to outside linebacker in the Green Bay 3-4 defense. He played in just 24 percent of the snaps during his rookie season as they brought him along slowly. That percentage doubled in 2020 as Gary found his footing. He put up 35 tackles and five sacks in that role. He broke out in 2021 with 47 tackles and 9.5 sacks when he was asked to start in place of Za'Darius Smith, who missed 16 games.

His ascension led to Smith being released and Gary took over as the full-time starter. He's continued to thrive in that role and signed a four-year extension worth up to $107 million during the 2023 season.