The NFL Draft Chronicles: 2005 Aaron Rodgers, the long wait
Aaron Rodgers fall in the 2005 draft was one of the most memorable moments of all time.
The 2005 NFL Draft was one of the first times we, as fans, saw what it was like for a top draft pick to suffer through dropping in the draft. That’s what happened to Cal's Aaron Rodgers. Many thought that Rodgers would be off the board early in that draft, but he dropped all the way to 24th to the Green Bay Packers, who still had Brett Favre.
The hardest part was watching Rodgers sit there, round after round, not being chosen. Even his beloved San Francisco 49ers passed on him. This wasn’t great for Rodgers, but it was definitely great for television.
The American football audience couldn’t stop watching. It would happen 20 years later with Shedeur Sanders. Many NFL draft analysts predicted that Sanders would be gone in the first or second round, but when he fell all the way to the Cleveland Browns in the 5th round, it was a shocker.
Again, audiences witnessed the fall of a perennial athlete in the draft, which brought high ratings and much discussion. To this day, not many people know why Rodgers fell to the late first round, but many teams now regret passing on the chance to draft a future Hall of Famer. This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: The NFL Draft Chronicles: 2005 Aaron Rodgers, the long wait