10. Ryan Grant (2007-2011):
Ryan Grant played only 67 games for the Packers (73 including the playoffs), but he made the most of his time in Green Bay. In 2007 he started only seven games, yet impressively ran for 956 yards. The following two seasons he rushed for over 1200 yards, a rarity in Packers’ history.
Including the playoffs, Grant registered 32 touchdowns for the Packers. He was a definitive number one rushing threat for a three-year span and he made it to overtime of the 2007 NFC Championship Game. He was a huge reason the team got that far. He averaged 4.3 yards per rush while playing in Green Bay, but was injured for nearly the entire 2010 Super Bowl championship season. Even so, his explosiveness helped give Favre’s Packers one last crack at the Super Bowl and his intelligence helped ease the transition into the Rodgers Era.
9. Dorsey Levens (1994-2001):
One of the most important offensive players of the Packers’ mid-1990s team was Dorsey Levens. He scored at least 10 touchdowns in a single season three times for the Packers, including in both of their back-to-back Super Bowl seasons. He scored 50 total touchdowns for the Packers, including the playoffs. He is so fondly remembered because of his outgoing personality and his ability to seemingly always make the big play at a big time.
He caught an impressive 271 passes in Green Bay, with 16 touchdown receptions. Levens was the perfect running back for the Packers’ West Coast offense. In 1997, he rushed for 1435 yards, one of two times he ran for over 1000 yards in a season. Most impressively, is that he scored at least one touchdown in the playoffs in five consecutive seasons from 1994-1998, something no other Packers’ player has achieved.
8. Aaron Jones (2017-Present):
One of the most dynamic running backs in Packers history, and NFL history if we’re being honest, is Aaron Jones. On a per-game, per-touch basis Jones is nothing short of historic. His 0.79 TDs per game are the second highest mark in franchise history behind only Don Hutson. That puts Jones ahead of fullback Jim Taylor’s previous franchise record for a runner.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur certainly knows how to use Jones. In an era when running backs breakdown early, the Packers have been smart with his usage. He’s been kept fresh and has routinely dominated in the fourth quarter (especially in 2020).
It’s unclear if the Packers will keep Jones around or if he’ll be a salary cap casualty like many running backs in the current NFL. In 2018, Jones led the NFL in yards per rush. In 2019, he led the NFL in rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns. Jones will forever be remembered for his speed, but also the way his speed jived with his balance, vision and strength. If Jones stays with the Packers you can count on LaFleur continuing to use Jones in a way that keeps him fresh and dangerous.
Jones’ career yards per touch (5.7) is one of the highest in the league at his position since he joined the NFL. He’s athletic enough to catch balls down the field and the fact that he only fumbled six times in four seasons is impressive. If the Packers find a way to bring him back, he could significantly climb this all-time list.
7. Johnny Blood (1929-1933, 1935-1936):
Pro Football Hall of Fame Inaugural Class of 1963
Johnny Blood is likely the most mysteriously-fabled name in the history of the Green Bay Packers. Known as a wild-man, but also a romantic throwback to how rugged men (for better or worse) used to act; Blood played his entire career with the name Johnny Blood. He was born John Victor McNally Jr., but we think the name he became known for suited him better.
It is arguable that Blood was Green Bay’s first true superstar. He joined the team in 1929 and the team won its first three World Championships in his first three seasons in Green Bay. A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-1930s team, he won a fourth championship in 1936. His enigmatic aura lives on in Green Bay today.
If we had official stats and a more robust collection of highlights then perhaps Blood would be ranked higher in this all-time list. What’s interesting about his legacy is that he was actually an elite pass catcher in the NFL’s earliest days. Yes, he was a runner out of the backfield, but he’s one of the top receiving backs in Packers history.
6. John Brockington (1971-1977):
No Packers running back has ever started a career more dynamically than John Brockington. He was named AP Rookie of the Year in 1971 and rushed for over 1000 yards in each of his first three seasons. His strength and bruising running style is still fresh in the minds of every Packers fan that saw him play.
Brockington played during the “lean years” in Green Bay, but still scored 32 touchdowns and 5024 rushing yards (third most in Packers history). Only three backs in team history have rushed for more than 5000 yards, but injuries kept him from adding to his legacy as the years went on. Even so, he managed to catch 138 passes. He truly is the last great running fullback in the history of the Green Bay Packers. Because of his era, he’s underrated in Packers’ history.
The top 5 RBs in Packers history are next.
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