GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers selected Colorado offensive tackle David Bakhtiari with the 109th pick, Cornell offensive tackle J.C. Tretter with the 122nd pick and UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin with the 125th pick on Saturday in the fourth round of the NFL draft.
The Packers, who acquired the 109th selection from New Orleans through Miami, added Bakhtiari and Tretter to help protect their biggest investment, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who signed a five-year contract extension on Friday.
The 6-foot-4, 299-pound Bakhtiari started 33 of 34 games for the Buffaloes, 22 at left tackle and 11 at right tackle. Bakhtiari entered the draft after his junior year and allowed just 5 ½ sacks and only 11 quarterback pressures in three seasons at Colorado.
With their second pick of the fourth round, the Packers selected another offensive tackle, this time an Ivy League big man.
Tretter, 6-foot-3 and 307 pounds, is just the seventh Ivy League offensive lineman ever selected in the NFL draft. He started all 20 games at left tackle in the final two seasons at Cornell after playing tight end his first two years. During his senior season, Tretter allowed just one sack on 853 pass plays while registering 214 knockdowns.
This is the sixth year in a row Packers general manager Ted Thompson has drafted an offensive tackle.
The Packers traded Denver picks Nos. 146 and 173 to receive No. 125 to select Franklin. It's the second day in a row Green Bay has drafted a running back.
Franklin had a highly productive career at UCLA. He rushed for 4,403 yards, which ranks fifth in Pac-12 Conference history, and had 4,936 all-purpose yards. A solid 5-foot-10, 201 pounds, Franklin averaged 5.59 yards per carry after starting 45 games in his career.
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