3 Packers Players Who Surprised Fans in a Big Way This Season

The Green Bay Packers are clearly one of the most surprising teams in the league, as Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur have the Packers sitting pretty as division champions at 12-3 and in contention for home-field advantage. The Packers have been buoyed by career years from several players, including these three studs that made the leap to stardom.

3. Blake Martinez

The tackles stat can sometimes be misleading when it comes to evaluating linebackers, but Martinez reeling off three straight seasons of 140 or more tackles should establish him as one of the premier middle linebackers in football. Martinez trails only Bobby Wagner across all of football in tackles, and his play is one of the reasons that Mike Pettine's defense has improved so dramatically as compared to last year. It's high time Martinez got the credit he deserved.

2. Za'Darius Smith

Smith wasn't even the most hyped pass rusher that shared his last name to join Green Bay this offseason, as Preston Smith got that honor, but he's still put together the best season of his career. The former Baltimore Raven has set new career-highs in sacks with 13.5 and total tackles with 54. He has become a legitimately frightening presence off the edge, and his exclusion from the Pro Bowl is frankly shameful given how he has helped transform the Green Bay defense.

1. Aaron Jones

Dating back to his days with the Rams and Titans, LaFleur knows how to run the ball, and he has transformed Jones into one of the best running backs in the league. Just 16 yards away from reaching 1,000 for the season, Jones leads the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns, and has managed to add in 471 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver in his breakout season. The former UTEP Miner has moved from promising young player to star, and Aaron Rodgers no longer has to win games with his arm alone.