The fifth overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, Hawk remains tied with Terrell Buckley as the Packers’ highest draft choice in the past 25 years.
All of that extra attention creates lofty, sometimes unattainable, expectations. It’s enough pressure to crush the will power of some individuals, but not Hawk. It galvanized him.
The franchise’s all-time leading tackler always has been comfortable in his own skin, a trait that guided him through his nine seasons as the general of the Packers’ defense.
“Everything is about expectations from the outside looking in and expectations on yourself,” said Hawk, who officially announced his retirement from the NFL this week.