The Packers' Herb Adderley, in an undated photo.

Here's the top five:

1. Herb Adderley (6-0, 205), CB – He was a shutdown corner before there was such a thing. In 1965, he didn't allow a touchdown pass in the regular season. He was fast and physical, made big plays and had some linebacker in him against the run. Here's what Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Tommy McDonald once said: "Herb Adderley simply wouldn't let me get to the outside. He'd just beat me up, force me to turn underneath routes all the time. That made it very difficult for me to do my job. Other guys tried the same tactic, but he was the only one tough enough and fast enough to get it done."

2. Ron Kramer (6-3, 234), TE – One of the greatest athletes in Packers history. He was as good as Pro Football Hall of Famers Mike Ditka and John Mackey but had a shorter shelf life, and that's why he's not in Canton. Kramer suffered a grisly injury as a rookie – a combination broken leg and ligament damage to his knee – and then missed a full season and also training camp in 1959 while in the Air Force. At the back end, he played out his option in 1964 and wasn't the same player when he went to Detroit.'

But Kramer was a nine letter-winner at Michigan before freshmen were eligible for varsity sports. He was a 230-pound high jumper, as well as a weight man on the track team. In basketball, he was Michigan's leading scorer as a sophomore and junior, and a fifth-round draft pick of the Detroit Pistons. He was a two-way end in the one-platoon era of college football, and also played some fullback, punted and placekicked. In one spring scrimmage, Kramer played in the backfield and scored touchdowns covering 90, 71, 52, 16, 14 and 10 yards.

While listed at 234 with the Packers, Kramer once said he usually played at 250 to 260 pounds and sometimes more. Besides being able to run and catch at that size, he also was a crushing blocker. Having Kramer, Lombardi wrote in "Run to Daylight," was "almost like owning a permit to put 12 men on the field."

I'd invite any NFL scout to watch Kramer's performance when the Packers crushed the New York Giants, 37-0, in the 1961 NFL Championship and tell me Rob Gronkowski ever played a better game in the postseason. Kramer was like a runaway beer truck the way he obliterated middle linebacker Sam Huff as a blocker and ran over him after the catch.

3. Dave Robinson (6-3, 245), OLB –As the left linebacker in the Packers' conservative, man-to-man rooted defense, Robinson's first responsibility before dropping into coverage was to jam the tight end at the line, and there was nobody in the league better at it. In 14 games from 1965 to 1972, Mackey and Ditka averaged 2.3 catches and 21 yards per game against the Packers.

In today's game, with all the multi-wide receiver sets and tight ends lining up like wide receivers, Robinson's role would change. For example, the left linebacker almost never blitzed in Phil Bengtson's defense. But with Lawrence Taylor-like size and similar speed, Robinson, no doubt, could adapt. After all, he played tight end at Penn State, as well as defensive end, and was projected as a possible standout at three positions when he was drafted.

4. Boyd Dowler (6-5, 224), WR –He might be best remembered for his size and great hands, but he also was a finalist in the NCAA Track & Field Championships as a hurdler. Robinson recently compared him to Calvin Johnson. Fellow receiver Bob Long called him "the Randy Moss of the 1960s."

Dowler didn't have that kind of speed, but it's hard to imagine any team today not finding a prominent role for a 6-5 wide receiver who was a coach's son, a track star and a college quarterback, safety and punter. As a pro receiver, Dowler was comparably dangerous and sure-handed running any route on the passing tree.

5. Paul Hornung (6-2, 215), RB –Although Lombardi built his offenses in Green Bay and New York around his left halfback, Hornung's role and stats don't translate to today's game. Lombardi's left halfback was the ball carrier on his signature power sweep and the threat who made the halfback option go, a play Lombardi called "the greatest in football." At the same time, the left halfback wasn't the featured ball carrier in Lombardi's offense and so Hornung never posted big rushing totals.

Hornung's greatest strengths were his blocking, receiving and ability to convert first downs and score in short-yardage situations. Again, the Packers' bread-and-butter play in short yardage was a tight trap with Hornung carrying the ball.

In the 1970s and '80s when teams were still building their offenses around running backs who could carry 20-plus times a game and go the distance on any given play – backs like O.J. Simpson, Tony Dorsett and Eric Dickerson – Hornung might not have made this list.

Today, teams are looking for more versatile backs who can not only gain tough yards, but excel as blockers and receivers. The only question with Hornung would be his speed, so I asked Ron Wolf for his thoughts. His response: "If Arian Foster and Eddie Lacy can play, Hornung could play."