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Like many National Football League observers during the draft of 2005, ESPN's Ron Jaworski was not particularly high on the talent or skills of California's Aaron Rodgers.

To be fair, neither were the NFL organizations that made the 23 selections before Green Bay picked Rodgers at 24.

So when Jaworski (left) made Rodgers his choice as the best quarterback in the league coming into the 2012 season, it reminded us that Jaworski did not see an upside in Rodgers' game that would catapult him to superstar status.

But neither did anyone else.

For example, take Mike Mayock of the NFL Network. He predicted three days before the draft that Rodgers would be available to the Packers and that they would select him. After taking a well-deserved bow for that choice, Mayock was asked if he thought Rodgers would be a star in the league.

"I think what Aaron Rodgers is, he's a highly proficient, technical quarterback who can manage a game, has an above-average arm and can be a good player in the right system," Mayock said. "I don't think he is an all-pro type quarterback though."

As for Jaworski, after the 2005 draft he said Rodgers was not taken earlier because he did not demonstrate enough ability to throw from different angles.

"The one thing (Utah's) Alex Smith has shown me is his ability to throw the football from different platforms," Jaworski said back then. "I think one of the reasons Aaron Rodgers fell in this draft was the fact that he did not throw the football from all the platforms that Alex Smith threw from.

"As I studied Aaron Rodgers, the one thing I talked about is that the ball is carried up (high)," Jaworski said. "But when he got chased from the pocket, the ball came down and he did carry the ball well in here (low). That's when he threw the ball very well. He would get that gunslinger kind of throw, with the whip of the arm, snap of the wrist and the ball would come out."

By April 2008, Jaworski had seen enough of Rodgers to upgrade his notions of his skill level.

"I think he has gotten better, and I give him a legitimate shot of doing a solid job of replacing Brett Favre," Jaworski said.

Rodgers did not forget what Jaworski said about him during the 2005 draft.

In June 2010 Rodgers was asked during a radio interview about some NFL commentators, including Jaworski.

"You know what, I like him," Rodgers said, referring to Jaworski. "But when I was coming out he did the worst segment, in my opinion, in the history of TV about me. He talked about my fundamentals, which was not even close to anywhere near my fundamentals. And the first time I met him, somebody introduced me to him, I said, ‘Yeah, I know him. The guy ripped me before the draft.’ The rest of the night, he told me what a great player I was. I was like, ‘Come on, I know your song and dance.’ And now he loves me."

And the love continues.

Tuesday on ESPN Jaworski told viewers why he picked Rodgers as the best quarterback in the league.

“Very few quarterbacks in NFL history have had Rodgers’ exceptional combination of velocity and accuracy, elite arm strength and pinpoint ball location," Jaworski said.

He cited as evidence of his contention the third-and-10, fourth-quarter throw to Greg Jennings in Super Bowl XLV.



“You know what I love most about that throw?" Jaworski said. "Rodgers’ instinctive willingness to pull the trigger. He made it because he knew he could make it. One critical measure of high-level play is the ability to execute versus the blitz. Rodgers’ rating in 2011 was 136, easily the best in the NFL. He was outstanding beating the man coverage that you primarily see with blitz. Again, a function of his accuracy, or as I’ve said many times, ball location.



“Rodgers also defeated the blitz with his movement and his extraordinary ability to throw on the run," Jaworski said. "No quarterback delivers on the move as well as Rodgers – velocity and accuracy. There’s a larger, more significant issue that speaks to Rodgers’ greatness. He can beat the defense even when the defense wins, whether it’s blitz or a three-man pressure with eight in coverage.

“Add running ability to Rodgers’ special throwing skill set and you have the most physically gifted quarterback in the league," Jaworski said. "Numerous times last season, I saw Rodgers defeat a predominant NFL coverage, man-under, two-deep, with his recognition and running. The man coverage undercut the routes and there was help over the top. The coverage won. A perfectly-executed coverage concept still resulted in an explosive 25-yard run.



“Aaron Rodgers is my No. 1 quarterback," Jaworski said. "He has all the attributes that I love: accuracy, velocity, movement, toughness. Those attributes lead to elite play and wins. He’s won two out of every three starts and a Super Bowl championship.”