GREEN BAY – Back in 2013, Clay Matthews knew David Bakhtiari as Eric's little brother.

At that time, Bakhtiari was looking to follow in the footsteps of his brother and former NFL linebacker, who played with six teams over five years and trained with Matthews at Proactive Sports Performance in Westlake Village, Calif., during the offseason.

Projected as a mid-round draft pick, David turned out to be the 19th offensive lineman selected when former Packers general manager Ted Thompson plucked him off the board with the first of Green Bay's three fourth-round picks (109th overall).

Leading up to the draft, pundits wondered whether Bakhtiari might have to make a move to guard to excel at the next level. Instead, Thompson had just discovered the left tackle into which organizations invest heavy draft capital in order to cover the blind side of the franchise quarterback.

Five years later, Bakhtiari has positioned himself comfortably in the conversation as one of the top five draft choices Thompson made during his 13 years as GM, standing atop that list alongside Matthews, Aaron Rodgers and Nick Collins.

Looking back, Matthews couldn't have predicted Bakhtiari becoming a two-time All-Pro and Pro Bowl left tackle, but it's also not that surprising, either.

"He's turned out to be a great player," Matthews said. "I can't say that I saw this happening, especially with a mid-rounder, but he's just continued to get better year in and year out. He's at the point where he's kind of hit his stride, and it's just about maintaining that and being a figure here for many more years."

There are few universal truths in today's NFL, with offenses continuing to evolve and defenses blurring the lines between base and sub-packages. Despite a shifting landscape, however, quarterback and left tackle have remained two of the most important facets to building a championship team for the past 30-plus years.

That point is reflected in exactly half of the starting left tackles in Week 1 of this season being first-round picks, while seven others were taken inside the top 75 selections of their respective draft classes. Of the nine left tackles taken in the fourth round or later, only Bakhtiari and Jason Peters have All-Pro attached to their resumes.

Of that original pool of 32 players, Bakhtiari is one of 18 to start all 13 games for his team this season. Like center Corey Linsley – who has played every offensive snap for Green Bay this season – Bakhtiari has weathered his share of nicks and bruises to do it.

Rodgers has appreciated the availability of his left tackle, particularly after a knee injury he sustained in the opener against Chicago limited his mobility through the first half of the season.