Packer Central

Eight Most Explosive Players in Packers History

In honor of the Fourth of July fireworks, our list of the team's most explosive players includes three receivers, two running backs, two defensive players and a kick returner.

Bill Huber

Ahman Green (Photo by USA Today Sports Image)
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – It’s Independence Day, with Americans celebrating the nation’s birthday with fireworks. In that light, here is our ranking of the eight most explosive players in Green Bay Packers history.

No. 8: WR Christian Watson

OK, Watson’s played only one season and really only produced for a half-season. But with a game-breaking blend of size and speed, he’s got some Randy Moss-style potential to dominate the NFL. His nine touchdowns averaged 29.3 yards, with four scores of at least 39 yards.

No. 7: KR Travis Williams

The Roadrunner set an NFL record with four kickoff-return touchdowns and a 41.1-yard average as a rookie in 1967. In 1969, he returned a punt for a touchdown. Despite playing only five seasons, he ranks fourth all-time with six touchdowns on kickoff returns.

No. 6: RB Aaron Jones

Jones ranks sixth in NFL history with 5.11 yards per carry for his career. According to Pro Football Reference, 54 running backs are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Of that group, 50 have at least partial stats. Only four have a better average than Jones: Marion Motley, Jim Brown and Bobby Mitchell.

No. 5: WR James Lofton

A Pro Football Hall of Famer, Lofton ranks second in Packers history with 9,656 receiving yards and fourth with 18.2 yards per reception. Of his 76 career touchdowns, 28 covered at least 40 yards, including 18 of 50-plus yards and nine of 70-plus yards.

No. 4: RB Ahman Green

Green is the Packers’ career rushing leader with 8.322 yards. His 2003 season was one of the best by any running back in NFL history with 1,883 rushing yards (5.3 average), 50 receptions for 367 yards (7.3 average) and 2,250 total yards. With Green Bay, he had seven rushing touchdowns of at least 60 yards, including two of 90-plus yards.

No. 3: DL Reggie White

Not every “explosive” player has 4.4 speed in the 40. Some players are explosive at the snap with superhuman strength. In six seasons with the Packers, White had 68.5 sacks. That doesn’t include his three sacks in Super Bowl XXXI.

No. 2: CB Charles Woodson

In seven seasons with the Packers that propelled him into the Hall of Fame, Woodson intercepted 38 passes, forced 15 fumbles and scored 10 defensive touchdowns with nine pick-sixes. In NFL history, he ranks fifth with 65 interceptions and second with 11 pick-sixes.

No. 1: WR Don Hutson

In 11 seasons, Hutson caught 488 passes for 7,991 yards (16.4 average) and 99 touchdowns. He revolutionized the game, leading the league eight times in receptions, seven times in yards and nine times in receptions. In 1942, he had 1,211 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. In the 10-team NFL, Hutson had more receiving yards than four teams and more receiving touchdowns than eight teams. Hutson retired after the 1945 season; his 99 touchdowns stood as the NFL record until 1989.

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

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