Packers’ 2005 Draft Class Deemed NFL’s Worest; Here’s Why It’s Irrelevant

By Bill Huber

GREEN BAY, Wis. — When the NFL.com post-draft grades came out last April, the Packers were applauded. Analyst Chad Reuter slapped a confident A-minus on Green Bay’s eight-man haul, a mark that ranked inside the top-10 of the league. The tune changed in January. Reuter’s colleague Gennaro Filice re-graded every class after a full season of film, snap counts and injuries, and the Packers tumbled to a D-plus — the worst mark of 2025.

Theoretical disaster? Perhaps. Historical relevance? History says “not so fast.”

The first-round headline was 6-foot-2 Arizona State receiver Matthew Golden. The 27th overall selection electrified a packed Lambeau Field lawn on draft night, yet the cheers quickly faded to murmurs. Golden’s regular-season numbers were solid but not spectacular: 29 catches, 361 yards, zero touchdowns. A shoulder and wrist injury stalled momentum, and the return of veterans Christian. Watson, Romeo Doubs and Jayden. Reed pushed him to the edges of the rotation. “He’s not going to be in that premier role when the playoffs come around,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich admitted before Week 18.

Golden’s postseason cameo, however, offered a glimpse of why the front office still smiles. In the Wild-Card loss at Chicago, he. caught 4-of-5 targets for 84 yards, scored his first touchdown and forced three missed tackles. It was the best 60-minute sample of his rookie year.

Second-round offensive lineman Anthony Belton found a home at right guard after six weeks on the bench. He started the final six regular-season games and the playoff contest, giving Green Bay a mauler to compare with Detroit’s. Tate Ratledge for years to come.

Third-round receiver Savion Williams was a manufactured-touch specialist and primary kickoff returner until a foot injury ended his season. He caught every ball thrown his way (10-10) but averaged 7.8 yards per grab and never became a vertical threat.

The latter half of the draft was a near-total. wipeout. Fifth-round defensive end Collin Oliver suited up for one game thanks to a hamstring issue. Seventh-round corner Micah Robinson never made the team and finished the year on Tennessee’s practice squad. Seventh-round lineman John. Williams never saw the field due to a back ailment. Fourth-round defensive end Barryn Sorrell and fifth-round defensive tackle Warren Brisson each. managed a single start.

Add it up and the Packers’ rookies started 14 games — the same number 25 individual first-year players reached on their own. By snap-weighted PFF grades, Green Bay finished 32nd out of 32.

Context matters. Four years ago, the 2022 class received a C-minus from NFL.com’s Eric Edholm after a rookie season that featured two. ejections for linebacker Quay Wyatt, zero offensive snaps from guard Sean Rhyan and a suspended finish. That group matured into 5,346 combined snaps in 2025 and multiple lucrative second contracts.

General manager Brian Gutunst. emphasized the long view last week: “It’s unfortunate you can’t keep all of them, but that’s the way it works in the National Football League. It’s better to have a lot of those choices than not many.”

The 2005 draft class will be measured not by January grades but by the contracts signed in 2008. Until then, the. D-plus remains a headline — not a verdict.

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