The four best players on the roster of the Green Bay Packers all cracked the top 50 players of Pro Football Focus’ Top 101 players list for the 2018 season.
Left tackle David Bakhtiari, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, defensive lineman Kenny Clark and receiver Davante Adams all made the list.
Bakhtiari, a three-time All-Pro left tackle, came in at No. 39 after allowing only four sacks during the 2018 season. He earned first-team All-Pro honors for the first time. Arguably the top pass-blocking offensive lineman in football, Bakhtiari has appeared three times on the Top 101 players list.
Rodgers had a down year statistically, throwing only 25 touchdown passes over 16 games, but he still finished with the sixth-highest grade among qualifying quarterbacks at PFF, earning him a spot at No. 41. He battled through a knee injury for most of the season and threw only two interceptions.
Clark continued his rise to stardom in 2018, delivering 28 stops against the run and an elite pass-rushing grade from the interior. PFF placed him at No. 43. He was the ninth-highest graded interior defender, a position stacked with stars around the NFL. Another jump in pass-rushing disruption could vault Clark even higher up the list in 2019.
Adams produced a career-year in 2018, catching 111 passes for 1,386 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was consistently productive over 15 games and dominated from the slot, helping him earn the ninth-best grade among receivers and a spot in the top 50 at No. 48. A new offense designed to make life easier in the passing game could make Adams even more dangerous and productive next season.
Adams and Rodgers were selected as Pro Bowlers in 2018, but Rodgers dropped out due to injury. Bakhtiari and Clark were alternates, although Bakhtiari turned down a chance to play in the game as an injury replacement.
Together, Bakhtiari, Rodgers, Clark and Adams form the foundation of the roster with elite-level talent. They are an enviable quartet, with difference-making players at three key positions on offense and a dominating interior presence to anchor the on-going rebuild on defense.
New coach Matt LaFleur and GM Brian Gutekunst must now mold and build the roster around the four stars. Running back Aaron Jones and cornerback Jaire Alexander look like future stars capable of cracking the top 101 players list as soon as next year, and the Packers also have a strong combination of cap space and draft capital to add talented pieces and fill in holes this offseason.
There is work to be done, but at least the Packers can look to the future with four elite players to build around.
