Once upon a time, the Packers had a mid-30s Brett Favre and still selected Aaron Rodgers with the 24th overall pick in the 2005 draft.
Green Bay’s quarterbacks coach that year? Lions interim head coach Darrell Bevell.
A decade and a half later, Bevell will coach against the two-time MVP when the Packers make their annual trip to Ford Field. And Bevell says he’s not surprised by anything Rodgers has accomplished.
“You’re probably going to think it’s easy to say, but absolutely I did [think he would turn out to be this good],” Bevell said Thursday, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I remember breaking down the draft that year and Aaron was my top-rated guy for us there. I don’t know how we had him rated as a team, won’t talk about that. But as far as how I had them, Aaron was the No. 1 guy.
“I saw him as a guy that would be able to come in and play right away if he needed to. We were so far down in the draft, didn’t think that was going to be a possibility for us. But I thought if you were a team picking early, that he would definitely be a guy that could help you.”
Of course, Rodgers famously sat in the green room, waiting for a team to take him until the Packers came calling. Then he sat behind Favre for three more seasons before taking over.
While Bevell and Rodgers spent only one season together in Green Bay, Bevell thinks the traits he saw in the player coming out of Cal still show up each week.
“I think he’s playing as well as any quarterback that’s ever played in this league,” Bevell said.
Currently 1-0 as Detroit’s interim coach, Bevell probably wouldn’t mind if Rodgers has an uncharacteristically poor game on Sunday.
