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GREEN BAY — Ted Thompson nailed it in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft.

Knowing he needed difference-makers on defense, the Green Bay Packers general manager used the ninth pick on nose tackle B.J. Raji and the 26th pick on linebacker Clay Matthews.

Thompson went 2-for-2 that day. Not only have Matthews and Raji become two of the most successful NFL players from that first round, they became difference-making defenders who helped the Packers win the Super Bowl in their second season with the team.

In the five full seasons since that draft, only six players from the first round made a Pro Bowl: Matthews, Raji, Brian Orakpo, Brian Cushing, Alex Mack and Percy Harvin. Matthews has been in four Pro Bowls and Raji one, making them a testament to Thompson’s decision-making.

The only problem with Thompson’s first-round haul in 2009 was that afterward he lost his touch drafting defensive players. Since he pulled the trigger on the Matthews pick, Thompson has drafted 25 defensive players and not a one has become the type of difference-maker that fuels an NFL defense. It’s too early to tell on the team’s most recent two No. 1 picks — defensive end Datone Jones and safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix — but the rest look like role players at best.