Despite the limited talent available on tape to NFL teams, GM Ted Thompson made a classic Packers find when they scooped him up in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft. In his second season, the new fan favorite had large shoes to fill being the successor to John Kuhn.
Ripkowski proved to be one of the biggest hits of the team’s draft class. Bone-jarring blocking, consistent third-down conversions, and the occasional catch out of the backfield made the fullback an effective weapon out of the backfield for Mike McCarthy.
Now as he heads into his third year, Ripkowski will be the lead blocker for a group of running backs that have a combined single year of experience being the starting running back for an NFL team.