3. James Lofton
At a time in Packers history where fans had very little to celebrate, James Lofton gave several reasons to celebrate. Lofton played in Green Bay from 1978-86, racking up 530 receptions for 9,656 yards and 49 touchdowns over 136 games. His career yards-per-catch average stands at a whopping 18.3 yards.
Lofton was one of the NFL’s original deep threats. Here’s what you need to know: He had 1,300 receiving yards in 1983…on just 58 catches (22.44 yards-per-catch). Even crazier? He did the same thing the following season, recording 1,361 yards on 62 catches (21.95 yards-per-catch). Both yards-per-catch averages fall in the top five for a single season (minimum of 50 catches) in NFL history.
During his time in Green Bay, Lofton was named to the Pro Bowl seven times and was a First Team All-Pro in 1981. After nine seasons with the Packers, Lofton played seven more seasons with the Raiders, Bills, Eagles and Rams. He made one more Pro Bowl in 1991 at the onslaught of Buffalo’s four-straight trips to the Super Bowl. Lofton was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
Lofton could have been higher on this list, but only playing nine years in Green Bay bumps his ranking down a bit. Still, being considered a top-three receiver is nothing to scoff at.