Why A.J. Hawk will be in the Packers Hall of Fame

The Green Bay Packers have had a lot of solid cornerstone pieces on defense throughout the last few decades. This is a franchise that has seen the likes of Ray Nitschke, Charles Woodson, Reggie White and so many other great defensive players. But there is only one all-time leading tackler in the history of the franchise. That record is held by former middle linebacker A.J. Hawk.

Hawk was selected with the sixth overall pick by Green Bay in the 2006 NFL Draft out of Ohio State University. The former All-American would go on to be a standout for Head Coach Mike McCarthy and the Packers on defense for nine seasons (2006-14). He was the definition of durable while playing one of the most physically demanding positions in all of sports. He missed just two games in those nine seasons. He played 159 out of a possible 161 and started in 147 of those games. 

In those 159 games playing on Lombardi Avenue, Hawk would go on to tally 922 tackles. Hawk had 80+ tackles each of his nine seasons playing for the Packers, including five seasons with 100+ tackles. He also added in nine interceptions, 34 passes defensed, 55 tackles for loss and 35 QB hits. He was a very steady piece that could always be counted on and was an important piece of Green Bay's Super defense in 2010 that was ranked No. 1 in total defense.

The Ohio native will eventually be inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame over the next few years. He retired in 2016 after playing with the Bengals in 2015 and spending part of the 2016 with the Falcons. 

When he laced them up, the opposing offense needed to know where he was at all times. He is one of the great, forgotten defenders of the last decade-and-a-half. However, he will never be forgotten in Green Bay, Wisconsin.