Aaron Kampman
Inducted: 2024
Defensive End: 2002-09
Height: 6-4; Weight: 260
College: Iowa, 1998-2001
Honors:
Pro Bowl Selection (played from 1950-2022): 2006, '07
Typecast as strictly a try-hard guy coming out of college, Aaron Kampman spent much of his career trying to prove that the narrative was unfair. And unlike so many others who have been burdened by that same label, he finally succeeded.
When Kampman was selected by the Packers in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft, he was all but branded as a typical product of an Iowa program that had a reputation for churning out solid pros of good character but with limited ceilings. "I see him being a Billy Lyon type player," then coach and general manager Mike Sherman said on draft day, drawing a comparison between Kampman and the Packers' then fifth-year defensive lineman who had never been a starter but could plug a hole in a pinch at any of four positions.
Even after Kampman made back-to-back Pro Bowls in his fifth and sixth seasons, it took some convincing that his athletic skills weren't just a mirage but factored into his success as much as his many intangibles.
Over the last three seasons that Kampman played defensive end for the Packers, he had the third highest sack total in the NFL behind Dallas' DeMarcus Ware and Minnesota's Jared Allen, both of whom have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Ware had 45½ sacks over that stretch; Allen, 37½; and Kampman, 37.
Being part of such rarified company should have been proof of the obvious.
"Believe me, it takes more than just trying hard to get to the quarterback," said Carl Hairston, Packers defensive ends coach during those three seasons. "Athletically, Aaron is a lot better than he's given credit for. And he's one of the best technicians I've ever coached. He plays with great leverage, so he's able to get underneath a guy. You combine that with the way he studies and puts in time after practice, that's why he's successful."
In truth, Kampman was an afterthought in a highly touted defensive line class with eight first-round selections. The list included future Pro Football Hall of Famers Julius Peppers, the second overall pick, and Dwight Freeney, who was chosen 11th. In all, 24 D-linemen were drafted ahead of Kampman, who wasn't even invited to the NFL combine.
As it turned out, Peppers and Freeney finished their careers with 159½ and 125½ sacks, respectively. Kampman wound up with 58, more than all but Peppers and Freeney among the 24 defensive linemen drafted ahead of him.
Here again, Kampman's production belied the scouting reports that downgraded him for lacking the necessary size to be a defensive tackle, the position where many teams had projected him, and for not being the kind of quick-twitch athlete the pros were seeking in their defensive ends.
Maybe some of that had to do with his hardscrabble roots.
Kampman grew up in Kesley, Iowa, an unincorporated farming community of roughly 80 people, and played at Aplington-Parkersburg High School, which had an enrollment of around 300 students. But it was there playing under longtime coach Ed Thomas, who groomed four future NFL players, where the seeds were planted for Kampman's pro career. At the next level, he played for coach Kirk Ferentz at Iowa, a fertile breeding ground for pro linemen on both sides of the ball.
"Everybody you talk to down there about him says he's going to lay it on the line for you, he'll play hard every snap," Packers then vice president of football operations Mark Hatley said of Kampman's Iowa roots at the time he was drafted.
As a rookie with the Packers, Kampman was inactive for the first three games but wound up starting six as an injury replacement for Vonnie Holliday at what was called a "power end" in then defensive coordinator Ed Donatell's system. In his second season, Kampman again became a starter at power end as the result of an injury – this time to high-priced free agent Joe Johnson six weeks into the season – and was able to convince the Packers that he was a keeper.
"He's a hard worker," said Jethro Franklin, the Packers' defensive line coach during Kampman's first three seasons. "He'll try to do everything right. He's a great student of the game and has some toughness. He's a good leader and has the right traits there."
Kampman also flashed big-play ability with three sacks in two playoff games.
Thereafter, Kampman's ascension to becoming a Pro Bowl player was on a fast track. In 2004, he started all 16 games for the first time, led the Packers' defensive linemen in tackles and registered 4½ sacks. He also impressed division rival Minnesota enough that it offered him a free agent contract that the Packers had to match to keep Kampman.
The next year, Jim Bates, as the Packers' first-year coordinator, installed a new defense, one that positioned the ends wider than his predecessor, gave them more freedom to rush the passer and made it possible for Kampman to lose weight and become a more explosive pass rusher. He finished that season with 6½ sacks.
Although Bob Sanders replaced Bates as coordinator a year later, he ran the same system and Kampman, now settled in as an every-down left end, registered double-digit sack totals of 15½ and 12 in 2006 and '07, respectively. Along with being named to consecutive Pro Bowls, Kampman also made second team both years in the Associated Press' all-pro voting.
"He did a hell of a job in the run game, too," said Hairston, Packers' defensive line coach from 2006-08. "That's the kind of player you want on your defense, a guy who can excel against both the run and the pass."
Kampman had another good year in 2008 with 9½ sacks, then was moved to left linebacker when new coordinator Dom Capers installed a 3-4 defense in 2009.
Although Kampman gave it his all and was allowed to line up in a three-point stance on some passing downs, he never looked truly comfortable playing as a stand-up linebacker. In the ninth game, he sustained a season-ending knee injury and then signed a free agent contract with Jacksonville after the season.
"Great pro," said Mike McCarthy, Kampman's head coach during his final four seasons in Green Bay. "He was a great teammate, just a great technician. Played the game the right way. Look at his numbers." That said, McCarthy admitted, "Yeah, Aaron wasn't really cut for that 3-4."
In eight years with the Packers, Kampman played in 112 games, started 104 and registered 54 sacks. He also played in six postseason games and had another three sacks. With Jacksonville, he played in only 11 games over two years and was released.
Born Nov. 30, 1979, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Given name Aaron Allan Kampman.
