The Green Bay Packers have had a fairly successful history when it comes to the NFL Draft. Of course, Brian Gutekunst’s most recent success in 2022 and 2023 in finding quality players in nearly every round has given fans plenty of optimism for the 2024 NFL Draft class. As all fans are well aware, this year’s draft class was highlighted by first round pick Jordan Morgan, an offensive tackle out of Arizona.
It was just the second time in the Gutekunst era that the Packers selected an offensive player in the first round, the first time being quarterback Jordan Love in 2020. In fact, it was just the fifth time since 1996 that an offensive lineman was taken by Green Bay in the first round.
In a recent interview with Adam Schefter of ESPN, former Packers front office executive (and the son of former general manager Ron Wolf) Eliot Wolf revealed that it may have been the fourth time if the board had fallen their way all the back in 1996.
The Green Bay Packers Almost Drafted Hall of Fame Linebacker Ray Lewis in 1996
Eliot Wolf is currently the de facto general manager of the New England Patriots. While they search for a person to fill the position full-time (no one is quite sure why they just don’t promote Wolf to the position), the son of the former Packers’ Hall of Fame general manager has been making all of the personnel decisions.
He recently sat down with Adam Schefter to talk about various things, including his experiences working with the Packers in the 1990s, particularly during the NFL Draft. During the interview, Wolf was discussing picks that he was a part of helping to make, and he mentioned John Michels, an offensive tackle that they drafted in 1996.
He went on to say: “That’s actually an interesting story because they were getting ready to draft Ray Lewis, and Baltimore picked him the pick before, so they ended up drafting John Michels.”
Wolf revealed that, not only were the Packers ready to take Lewis with the 27th overall pick that year, they actually had him on the phone when the Ravens swooped in and took him.
Apparently, the Packers viewed Lewis as one of the best players in the draft, and they ended up being right as he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer when his playing career was over.
The Green Bay Packers Had the Best Defense in the NFL in 1996
Had the Packers been able to draft Lewis in 1996, he would have joined a defensive unit that would turn out to be one of the best in NFL history. Pro Football Hall of Famers Reggie White and LeRoy Butler were already established forces on that defense, as were Packers Hall of Famers Gilbert Brown and Santana Dotson.
Adding Lewis to that mix of players would have made the defense even more dominant. In his rookie season, Lewis finished with 110 tackles in 14 games and finished sixth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Lewis would go on to win two Super Bowls with the Ravens and was named Defensive Player of the Year on two occasions. A 12-time Pro Bowler and seven-time All-Pro, Lewis was named Super Bowl MVP in the Ravens’ victory in Super Bowl XXXV.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.
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