What makes a good General Manager when it comes to the draft? Most GMs like to say that they select the "best player available." If that's true, then what do they actually do? It makes it sound like Brian Gutekunst sits in the Packers' war room with the ESPN coverage of the draft on the TV and just keeps tabs on Mel Kiper's "best available" players and picks the top of the list when his time comes. We all know that's not true. There's a little caveat when it comes to "best available." It's "best available... on our draft board." And what makes a good drafting General Manager is building that draft board.

Any person could look at some mock drafts or rankings and make a draft board. But what each team does, or at least should do, is make a draft board based on a player's "fit" with their team. If you have a defensive scheme reliant on quick, athletic linebackers, you probably shouldn't be drafting a linebacker who's on the slow side and is mainly a run stopper, no matter what his ranking is. You're just setting that player up for failure in your scheme. Your board should also reflect personality traits. If a top player may not fit your team culture, you may have them ranked a bit lower than normal. If there's a player you think will flourish in your team culture and make the most of their opportunity, you may have them ranked higher than the average projection.

Creating your own rankings of players based on your personnel's own evaluations against the average is how you find those "hidden gems" or "draft day steals."

Throughout the Packers' history, they've found many gems in the middle and late rounds. Perhaps the most popular selection for the top spot would be Bart Starr, who was selected in the 17th round of the 1956 draft. But since things have changed since 1956, especially since the NFL switched to the current 7-round format in 1994, we're going to go off draft steals of the last 30 years, or "the modern era."

Donald Driver - 7th round pick, 213 - 1999

The biggest Packers draft steal of the last 30 years would likely go to Wide Receiver, Donald Driver. Coming from a small college in Alcorn State, many NFL teams thought Driver would struggle transitioning to the big league. Given his track-athlete background, many viewed him as an athlete-first, football player second. Also, his small stature, some drop issues in college, and the fact that he never played on a winning team absolutely worked against him.

The Packers, however, didn't agree. They had a fourth-round grade on Driver. They only let him fall so far because they believed that he would. It's said that they pulled the trigger in the 7th round because they learned many teams were gunning to sign him as a UDFA, and they wanted him first. 

Driver, of course, went on to become a Packers' legend, finishing his career as the Packers' all-time leader in both receptions with 743 and receiving yards with 10,137. His name continuously comes up in Canton conversations, but he's never made it close to Hall of Fame voting. Regardless, he will forever be regarded as one of the greatest Packers players of all time. 

David Bakhtiari - 4th round pick, 109 - 2013

Despite being a standout Tackle at Colorado, many NFL scouts felt David Bakhtiari lacked the physical size to be an anchor at offensive tackle in the NFL, and he was viewed more as a potential guard. This made Bakhtiari the ninth tackle selected in the 2013 draft. The Packers, in fact, agreed a bit with this as they initially viewed Bakhtiari as a versatile depth piece on the offensive line, being able to slot in at tackle or guard. 

An ACL tear to the current left tackle, Bryan Bulaga, on Family Night in 2013 and an excellent training camp to that point, placed Bakhtiari at starting left tackle to start his rookie season. And he never looked back. In the seven seasons that followed, Bakhtiari only missed six games, going on to earn five consecutive AP All-Pro selections. 

An ACL injury impacted his final years in Green Bay, but not before David Bakhtiari solidified his position amongst the best offensive tackles to ever put on a Packers' uniform. 

Aaron Jones - 5th round pick, 182 - 2017

Heading into the 2017 draft, Aaron Jones was looked at as a not-so-quick, small-framed running back, playing at a small school in UTEP. He also had some durability concerns heading into his NFL career. It also didn't help that the 2017 running back class was so deep with Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara, and Joe Mixon. 

The Packers, however, saw things a bit differently. While Jones didn't have that straight-line speed, he excelled in other areas. He had a great burst at the start of his runs and was very agile despite his lack of speed. His production at UTEP spoke for itself that he deserved at least a mid-round selection, and the Packers pulled the trigger.

Aaron Jones started his Packers career with a running back competition between him, Ty Montgomery, and fellow rookie Jamaal Williams. Jones was behind both backs to start the season, but due to injuries to both, he was thrust into a starting role by week 5, where he broke out for a 125-yard, 1-touchdown game against the Dallas Cowboys. He seized the opportunity in front of him to earn the trust of Aaron Rodgers, took over the lead-back role, and didn't look back. Jones finished his Packers career ranked third in franchise history for rushing yards with 5,940, and fourth in team history with 45 career touchdowns. 

Honorable Mentions:

Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila - 5th round pick, 149 - 2000 - KGB went from a perceived "undersized and raw" prospect to a franchise record-breaking sack leader.

Corey Linsley - 5th round pick, 161 - 2014 - Linsley was labeled as inconsistent, and scouts said he had limited athletic upside. He turned this around to start 110 games for the Packers at center, seizing the starting role in his rookie season, and earned All-Pro honors in 2020. 

Mason Crosby - 6th round pick, 193 - 2007 - Can you really call a kicker a draft steal? You can when the kicker fell due to concerns of poor accuracy, and that his power was a result of kicking at high altitude and not actual skill. Crosby rose above these concerns to become the all-time leading scorer in franchise history, with a penchant for clutch kicks, with approximately 12 kicks that count as game-winners.