Packers team historian Cliff Christl has assembled an oral history series on the NFL Draft, highlighting significant and noteworthy years as a prelude to Green Bay hosting the 2025 draft in late April. New installments will be posted most weekdays. For access to the full series thus far, click here.
2005
The 70th NFL Draft started at 12:13 p.m. (EDT) on April 23, 2005, and ended at 6 p.m. the next day with an overnight break. The command center was the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City.
Three rounds were completed on the first day with the session ending at 10:59 p.m. The final four rounds were held on April 24, starting at 11:10 a.m. In all, the draft took 17 hours, 36 minutes.
Fans can now register for free entry to the 2025 NFL Draft by downloading the NFL OnePass app or by registering online!
What were those quarterback-starved teams thinking?
Once Utah's Alex Smith (6-4, 217) and California's Aaron Rodgers (6-2, 223), both juniors, declared in early January for the 2005 draft, they figured to be the top two quarterbacks selected and maybe the first two players.
There seemed to be little that separated Smith and Rodgers as prospects, and several teams in need of a quarterback were bunched at the top of the order. Once one was drafted, the expectation was that the other would soon follow.
But it didn't unfold that way.
San Francisco selected Smith No. 1. Rodgers lasted until the 24th choice, where he was drafted by Green Bay. What was as curious as anything about Rodgers' memorable and agonizing four-and-a-half-hour wait in the Green Room was how many teams with a desperate need for a quarterback passed on him.
Beyond that, many of those teams had been searching for an answer at the game's most important position for years, even decades. When it was all over, maybe even more painful were the continued dry spells several suffered after passing on Rodgers.
Since the first common draft in 1967, picking the right quarterback in the first round had been a panacea for multiple teams from Terry Bradshaw in 1970 to Peyton Manning in 1998.
The lesson of the 2005 draft was the extent of the long-term harm it caused those quarterback-needy teams that passed on what turned out to be a future franchise quarterback.
Here's a rundown of the state of the quarterback position – present and in some cases past – on the 21 teams that owned choices in front of the Packers.
No. 1 San Francisco: Tim Rattay, a 27-year-old journeyman, and Ken Dorsey, a 23-year-old seventh-round draft choice, went 2-14 as the starters in 2004. From 1981-98, the 49ers' starting QBs were two future Hall of Famers, Joe Montana and Steve Young. Jeff Garcia replaced them for the next five years and had a 35-36 record as a starter.
No. 2 Miami: A.J. Feeley, a former fifth-round draft pick, and Jay Fiedler, 33, went 4-11 as the 2004 starters. More than a month before the draft, the Dolphins signed 34-year-old Gus Frerotte, who had made only 20 starts in the previous seven years, and all but designated him as No. 1 on their depth chart.
No. 3 Cleveland: A little more than six weeks before the draft, the Browns traded for Trent Dilfer, who was about to turn 33. In the previous four seasons with Seattle, Dilfer had started only 12 games. He was acquired to replace Garcia, now 34, who had gone 3-7 for the Browns in his 2004 starts. Going back to 1970, the only Browns' QBs to have made a Pro Bowl were Brian Sipe in 1980 and Bernie Kosar in 1987.
No. 4 Chicago: After losing Rex Grossman, their first-round draft choice in 2003, to a torn ACL in his right knee in the third game of 2004, the Bears turned to Chad Hutchinson, Craig Krenzel and Jonathan Quinn for the next 13 starts. The Bears hadn't had an AP All-Pro QB since Johnny Lujack in 1950; and had only three Pro Bowl QBs in the previous 50 years: Ed Brown in 1955 and '56; Billy Wade in 1963; and Jim McMahon in 1985.
No. 5 Tampa Bay: Brian Griese, 29, started 10 games and Brad Johnson, 36, started four in 2004 as the Bucs finished 5-11, their worst record in 11 years. What's more, their only two Pro Bowl QBs in their first 29 seasons were Dilfer in 1997 and Johnson in 2002.
No. 6 Tennessee: Steve McNair, who was then 31, underwent a bone graft for a sternum injury in late December 2004. With a beat-up McNair nearing the end of his career and unable to finish the season, the Titans had turned to Billy Volek, who had made one previous start since entering the league as a free agent in 2001. Volek was 2-6 as a starter for a team that had gone 23-9 in the previous two seasons.
No. 7 & 18 Minnesota: Former No. 1 draft pick Daunte Culpepper was 27 and the Vikings' entrenched No. 1 QB, but his record as a five-year starter at that point was 31-35. The Vikings also had just lost their backup when Frerotte signed with the Dolphins.
No. 8 Arizona: The Cardinals had signed Kurt Warner in March. He would turn 34 before the 2005 season started and his best years were behind him. But it was an improvement over 2004 when the starters were Josh McCown, a third-round draft choice in 2002, Shaun King and John Navarre. Over the previous 27 seasons, the Cardinals had one Pro Bowl QB: Neil Lomax in 1984 and '87.
No. 9 Washington: In 2004, Mark Brunell, 34, started nine games; Patrick Ramsey, a first-round pick in 2002, started seven. In 2005, they would again be the No. 1 and 2 QBs.
No. 10 Detroit: The Lions drafted Joey Harrington with the second overall choice in 2002 and were clinging to the hope that he'd be the answer to their perennial QB woes. Harrington had a 62.2 passer rating his first two years but showed a flicker of promise when the Lions started 3-1 in 2004. Then, they and Harrington had a meltdown, losing nine of the last 12. As of the 2005 draft, the Lions hadn't had an AP All-Pro QB since Bobby Layne in 1956 and a Pro Bowl QB since Greg Landry in 1971. In the 34 seasons between Landry and Harrington, Detroit started 26 different QBs.
No. 11 & 20 Dallas: Forty-one-year-old Vinny Testaverde was 5-10 in his 15 starts for the 2004 Cowboys. In the previous two seasons following Troy Aikman's retirement, Quincy Carter and Hutchinson had both started. The Cowboys passed on Rodgers twice but had signed Tony Romo as a rookie free agent following the 2003 draft. He had yet to throw a pass in an NFL game and wouldn't until 2006.
No. 12 San Diego: The Chargers drafted Drew Brees in the second round in 2001. He took over as their starter in his second season and looked to be their quarterback of the future when he went 11-4 as a starter in 2004.
No. 13 New Orleans: The Saints had traded for Aaron Brooks, the Packers' fourth-round draft pick in 1999, and he had just completed his fifth season as their starter. His record as their starter was 35-34.
No. 14 Carolina: Jake Delhomme was 29 and had just finished his second season as the starter. A product of NFL Europe, his record was 17-14.
No. 15 Kansas City: Originally an eighth-round draft pick by San Diego in 1993, Trent Green had just completed his fourth season as the Chiefs' starter. He would turn 35 before the 2005 season. His record as KC's starter was 34-30.
No. 16 Houston: The Texans had drafted David Carr with the No. 1 overall pick in their first draft as a 2002 expansion team. Carr had been the starter ever since and was coming off his best season as the Texans finished 7-9.
No. 17 Cincinnati: The Bengals appeared to be better off at quarterback than any team drafting ahead of the Packers. They had selected Carson Palmer with the first overall pick in 2003, and he took over as their starter the next season. Unfortunately, in 2005, he would lead the Bengals to an 11-5 record and finish fifth in AP MVP voting, only to sustain a career-threatening knee injury on the first play – a 66-yard TD pass – of his first playoff game. His injury: two torn ligaments, cartilage damage and a displaced kneecap.
No. 19 St. Louis: Marc Bulger, drafted in the sixth round by New Orleans in 2000, was cut by three teams in his first season: the Saints, the Rams and Atlanta. Two years later, Bulger emerged as the Rams' starter and would hold the job for eight years. His record at the time of the 2005 draft was 26-10. When his run with the Rams ended in 2009, his record was 41-54.
No. 21 Jacksonville: Byron Leftwich, the Jaguars' first-round draft pick in 2003, stepped in as an immediate starter and would hold the job until he injured his left ankle in 2006. His record as a starter for the Jags was 24-20. He played five more seasons with three different teams and started a total of six games.
No. 22 Baltimore: The Ravens had drafted Kyle Boller, a product of the University of California and the same system as Rodgers, in the first round in 2003. He started 25 games during his first two seasons and had a record of 14-11. He lasted three more seasons in Baltimore but wasn't the answer.
No. 23 Oakland: The Raiders had signed 32-year-old Kerry Collins, the fifth overall pick in 1995, as a free agent before the 2004 season. It was his fourth team in the last six years. In 2004, he won only three of 13 starts while leading the league with 20 interceptions.
Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and legendary announcer John Madden (Christl interview, circa early 1980s): "I remember the year we took Kenny Stabler in the second round. That year Daryle Lamonica was our starting quarterback, and he was Player of the Year (in the AFL). That's the time to get a quarterback. The Dallas Cowboys took Danny White when Roger Staubach was at the top of his game. Then they took Gary Hogeboom when Danny White was playing. You take one step ahead of the game. If you ever get to the point where you need something, you'll never get it."
Pre-draft word on the quarterbacks
One thing many scouts seemed certain about was that this quarterback class, which also included a third first-round choice, Auburn's Jason Campbell (6-5, 230), wasn't on par with the one in 2004. A year earlier, four were selected in the first round and three would become top-flight QBs: Eli Manning, first overall; Philip Rivers, fourth; and Ben Roethlisberger, 11th. The fourth of the class was J.P. Losman, taken 22nd.
One reason the 2005 class wasn't as strong as the year before, or as expected, was because Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart decided in January to stay in school and play another season at Southern Cal.
That skepticism left some scouts wondering all along if there was a quarterback worth drafting No. 1. Still others wound up jumping on the bandwagon, especially after Smith's and Rodgers' private workouts in mid-March.
Tennessee national coordinator for college scouting C.O. Brocato (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, April 13, 2005): "(Leinart would) be the top guy. The other guys (Rodgers and Smith) became the top guys because he didn't come out, so you can't say they were the top quarterbacks. That's the problem."
NFL.com analyst and former Dallas personnel director Gil Brandt (Canton Repository, March 19, 2005): "It's a two-horse race for the top quarterback. Before this week, it was debatable if a quarterback should be taken at No. 1 overall. Now, it's looking more and more like a good idea."
Tennessee general manager Floyd Reese (Nashville Tennessean, April 8, 2005): "If you classify Manning and Rivers and Roethlisberger as franchise-caliber quarterbacks, then you have to call these two guys the same thing."
But which one was most worthy of being No. 1?
Their career stats were similar. Smith was taller; Rodgers was thicker. In the athletic testing at the NFL Combine, Rodgers was slightly faster in the 40-yard dash – he ran 4.75; Smith, 4.78 – and scored better in the vertical leap. Smith was faster in the shuttle run and scored better in the broad jump.
Smith scored 40 on the Wonderlic test; Rodgers, 35. Both were impressive numbers except that Harvard quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick crushed the test that year with a score of 48 out of 50.
Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden (Oakland Tribune, April 10, 2005): "It's going to be something small that separates the two. Maybe it's something about your scheme or style, how he fits your offense."
Newly hired San Francisco coach Mike Nolan (Kansas City Star, April 17, 2005): "Aaron is certainly ahead of Alex because of the style offense he ran. Certainly, the physical things are what everybody sees and that's all very valuable … to me, the intangible things are really critical. The important thing for me is who's going to get in that huddle, command that huddle and have a presence."
49ers new vice president of player personnel Scot McCloughan (San Francisco Examiner, April 22, 2005): "When Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf came out, people were saying, 'One is going to be good. One is going to be bad.' I don't see that here. I think they're both going to be good."
Cleveland general manager Phil Savage (Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 17, 2005): "(Smith's) extremely bright. … We attended his pro day and brought him in. He was 46-2 in high school and college, so he's only been on the losing side of two games in his career. … There's some upside potential not only from the mental part but the physical part as well."
Gruden (Oakland Tribune, April 10, 2005): "(Rodgers is) a very astute, well-trained quarterback. They ask him to do a lot. He communicates the system well, and his skill level is tremendous. He's got touch, he's got zip, he's got mobility, he's durable. He's complete."
California coach Jeff Tedford (Miami Herald, April 14, 2005): "Not only is (Rodgers) a great competitor, he's very intelligent. Very skilled and a great leader."
Smith's coach at Utah and recently named coach at Florida Urban Meyer (Palm Beach Post, April 22, 2005): "If Alex is not the smartest person I've ever met, he's one of them. He's very blessed physically, but his mental capacity to learn is endless. People say he ran a spread offense at Utah but hasn't shown he can run a West Coast offense. Those people don't know Alex Smith."
Why did the 49ers take Smith over Rodgers?
Peter King wrote in the May 2, 2005, issue of Sports Illustrated that Nolan admitted to him following the draft that Rodgers had "the more NFL-ready arm," and was "better prepared to play in the league right away."
But Nolan said Smith's work ethic, intelligence and easygoing leadership style made the difference. What's more, Nolan told King that some in the 49ers' front office thought "Rodgers came across too much like a big man on campus."
There also was a sense that Rodgers' unusual throwing motion, taught by Tedford, looked mechanical and might be difficult to alter. Tedford taught his quarterbacks a technique called "ball on the shelf," where they'd hold it high in the air to get rid of it quickly.
Tedford taught his QBs well. Four of them – Dilfer, Akili Smith, Harrington and Boller – became No. 1 draft picks. Trouble was that three were busts and Dilfer was never a top-shelf starter, either.
Nolan (New York Times, April 25, 2005): "We felt that Alex was the one that most fit what we want our team to look like. He brings discipline, competitiveness and intelligence to the table. He is off the charts in all three areas."
In Ian O'Connor's 2024 book, "Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers," Nolan seemed to blame the decision to take Smith over Rodgers on his recently hired offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy.
Nolan ("Out of the Darkness"): "It was my first head coaching job, and Mike was the guy who was most knowledgeable on quarterbacks of the group, and as a group that's what we decided. … He had a lot to do with picking the other one (Smith), and in the end he got the one (Rodgers) that he didn't pick, and it elevated his career."
McCarthy ("Out of the Darkness"): "I was the offensive coordinator, and I did express my opinion. But those selections are made by a group of people, and ultimately a lot of information goes into that. I thought both quarterbacks were very young, talented guys who you could win with."
Smith played 14 years with three different teams, the first seven with the 49ers. He was named to three Pro Bowls and had a 99-67-1 record as a starter. He missed two full seasons as a result of injuries. Rodgers remained active through 2024 and is considered a generational talent.
McCarthy coached Rodgers for 13 seasons in Green Bay and compiled a 125-77-2 record over that period. Nolan was fired seven games into his fourth season with the 49ers after recording an 18-37 record.
Ted Thompson's first pick figures to make history
When Rodgers was still available at No. 24, Packers general manager Ted Thompson was prepared for the unexpected. There was a buzz circulating leaguewide among personnel people on Friday before the draft that the 49ers were going to take Smith and the teams next in line might pass on Rodgers.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst (Christl interview, March 4, 2021): "The Friday before the draft, we always had a meeting that morning to go over what needs to be done before tomorrow morning. The whole scouting staff was in there and Ted asked, 'Hey, is anybody hearing Aaron Rodgers may fall?' The conversation was maybe he falls out of the top 10, but then somebody will trade up to get him. In typical Ted fashion, he says, 'OK,' and broke up the meeting. But then he spent all day Friday in the draft room. Every time you walked in, he was watching Aaron Rodgers. He may have watched every game he played that season again. I'm sure he had done it already. He was there all day watching Aaron."
As the first round passed the midway point and Rodgers' wait continued, Thompson's next move was to inform team president Bob Harlan of his intentions if Rodgers was still there when the Packers were on the clock – even if quarterback was the least of their immediate needs.
Harlan (Christl interview, March 19, 2021): "We got to about 18 and (Thompson) asked me to go out in the hall and he said, 'If Rodgers is there, I'm going to take him.'"
At some point in the near future, it's a pick that will go down in history.
Five years after Rodgers retires, he'll almost certainly be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
If so, it will mark the first time – the 2025 draft will be the 90th – that a team with a Hall of Fame quarterback over the age of 30 and still at the top of his game drafted a quarterback in the first round who would turn out to be another Hall of Fame quarterback. Favre was 35 when Thompson selected Rodgers and was inducted into Canton in 2016.
What did the future hold for the teams that passed on Rodgers?
Among the 21 teams that could have drafted Rodgers and didn't, only five have won at least one of the 20 Super Bowls played since. And only two have done it with a homegrown quarterback.
In 2012, the Ravens won with Joe Flacco, their first-round pick in 2008. The Chiefs have won three Super Bowls with Patrick Mahomes since selecting him as their No. 1 in 2017.
In 2009, the Saints won three years after signing Brees, who became expendable at age 27 when the Chargers drafted Rivers. The Bucs won with a 43-year-old Tom Brady, who signed as a free agent, and the Rams with a 33-year-old Matthew Stafford, who was acquired in a trade.
As for the other teams that passed on Rodgers, five had quarterbacks who were 33 or older and at the end of the line. Here were their picks and their future ordeals with QBs.
Miami: Auburn running back Ronnie Brown played six years for the Dolphins and rushed for nearly 5,000 yards. But they would also start 11 different QBs over the next seven seasons before drafting Ryan Tannehill. Among them were Cleo Lemon, John Beck, Tyler Thigpen and Matt Moore.
Cleveland: Michigan wide receiver Braylon Edwards was traded four games into his fifth season. His per game average for the Browns was four catches for 60 yards. Dilfer would play one year in Cleveland on his way out the NFL door. In the past 19 seasons, the Browns have started 33 QBs and only Baker Mayfield, in 2019 and '20, started all 16 games.
Washington: Auburn cornerback Carlos Rogers started for most of six seasons in Washington and was named to one Pro Bowl. Its second first-round pick was Campbell, taken one spot after Rodgers. He started for most of his four seasons in Washington and had a 20-32 record. Until striking it rich with Jayden Daniels last year, Washington had started 21 QBs in 18 seasons and also spent three No. 1 picks on quarterbacks.
Dallas: The Cowboys selected future Hall of Fame linebacker DeMarcus Ware of then Troy State with the 11th choice and Louisiana State defensive end Marcus Spears with the 20th. Spears played eight years and registered 10 sacks. At quarterback, the Cowboys replaced Testaverde with 33-year-old Drew Bledsoe for a year and then handed the job to Romo.
Oakland: The Raiders traded a fourth-round pick to jump three spots ahead of the Packers to snatch Nebraska cornerback Fabian Washington. He lost his starting job in his third season and was traded in his fourth. Collins started again in 2005. From then until the Raiders drafted Derek Carr in the second round in 2014, they started 15 different QBs. Even more desperate for one in 2008, the Raiders made JaMarcus Russell the first choice in the draft. He lasted three years and 31 games.
Four other teams passed on Rodgers, while waiting on what they hoped would be their QBs of the future to blossom. Three were drafted in the first round. Not one ever established himself.
Chicago: The Bears chose Texas running back Cedric Benson. He was a starter for one of his three seasons in Chicago, rushing for 674 yards in his best year. Grossman didn't pan out. Thus, over the next 18 seasons, the Bears started 20 QBs, the best of whom was arguably Jay Cutler. They've also invested No. 1 draft picks in Mitch Trubisky, Justin Fields and Caleb Williams.
Arizona: The Cardinals took Miami cornerback Antrel Rolle. He started for most of five seasons and made a Pro Bowl, but his best years were with the Giants from 2010-14. Before drafting Kyler Murray in 2019, the Cardinals' best QBs over the previous 14 seasons were Warner and Palmer, both of whom joined them at age 34. McCown, their young hopeful, would play for nine teams over a 16-year career but start more than 10 games only twice in his next 13 seasons.
Detroit: The Lions No. 1 pick was Southern Cal wide receiver Mike Williams. He played in 22 games for them and caught 37 passes. The Harrington experiment ended a year later. His record as their starting QB was 18-37. Four years later the Lions used the No. 1 pick on Stafford.
Jacksonville: The Jaguars selected a college quarterback, Matt Jones of Arkansas, in front of Rodgers but with the intention of playing him at wide receiver. He lasted four years and caught 166 passes. When Leftwich didn't work out, the Jags turned to fourth-round draft pick David Garrard as their starter for four years, then first-rounder Blaine Gabbert for two years; and then shortly after that, first-rounder Blake Bortles for five years.
Arguably, the team that got the worst of the 2005 draft was Minnesota.
The Vikings selected South Carolina wide receiver Troy Williamson, seventh, and Wisconsin defensive end Erasmus James, 18th. Williamson played three years in Minnesota and caught 79 passes; James also played three years and registered five sacks.
Perhaps worse yet, the Vikings' quarterback situation was one of constant turnover.
In 2005, Culpepper tore three ligaments in his right knee in the seventh game and never played for them again. Brad Johnson, 37, finished the season and started again in 2006. Then came second-rounder Tarvaris Jackson for a year; Frerotte, then 37, was recycled for a year; Favre came next for two years; first-rounder Christian Ponder for two; and then Matt Cassel, Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Bradford and Case Keenum followed before Kirk Cousins provided some stability, starting in 2018.
Rodgers (Dan Patrick Show, April 26, 2005): "(Twenty-one) teams passed on me, and when my time comes to play, I'm going to show those teams they made a mistake."
