Bryce Derouin/Daily Mining Gazette Green Bay Packers’ Brett Hundley gives a fist bump to a fan Thursday at the Packer Tailgate Tour at the Michigan Tech SDC.

HOUGHTON — In the U.P. and Wisconsin, the Green Bay Packers are revered with an almost religious fervor — and Houghton is apparently no different. 

A few hundred local fans filled the Michigan Tech SDC to honor heroes past and present, as the  Green Bay Packers made a stop in the Copper Country Thursday on the annual Packer Tailgate Tour. 

“We have the best fans in the league across the region,” said Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy. “This is one of my favorite weeks of the year. Our fans are so supportive and it’s nice to be able to thank them and interact with them.”

It was the Packers’ first visit to Houghton in the 12 years of the tailgate tour. During that span, the tour has raised $2 million for local nonprofit organizations. The proceeds for Thursday’s event went to Dial Help. 

Joining Murphy on stage was current players Brett Hundley, Aaron Ripkowski and Jake Ryan, and Packers alumni Robert Ferguson, Ahman Green and Ryan Longwell. The ceremony opened with a 30-minute Q-and-A session that saw everything from an adult inquiring about quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ preparation to a child asking Ripkowski where the rest of his beard went. 

But this time of year, the topic on the mind of many football fans is the NFL Draft. That prompted another young fan to ask Murphy what the Packers’ “secret plans” would be for the draft on April 27. And while he didn’t divulge into those secret plans, he at least gave a glimpse into Green Bay’s thought process for the 2017 draft.

The Packers own the 27th pick in the first round.

“We really do a good job, I think, of looking at the best player available. For instance, when we drafted Aaron Rodgers, we had Brett Favre as quarterback, but we thought (Rodgers) was the best player there, so we took him and that’s something that’s been very positive for our organization,” Murphy said. “I think the areas we’ll focus on in the draft is cornerback, having lost Sam Shields last year really set us back. 

“I’d also say outside linebacker. We lost Julius Peppers and Datone Jones, and I think that’s an area we need to add a little bit. And then running back would be another position as well.”

The running back conversation brought up one of the more interesting topics during the Q-and-A: Adrian Peterson. The former Minnesota Viking running back is a free agent and one of the marquee names unsigned thus far. After terrorizing the Packers in his 10-year career, Murphy was asked his thoughts about signing his team’s former rival.

“I’m going to plead the fifth on that one,” Murphy said. “Obviously he’s a great player and we’ve seen him up close and personal.”

Longwell, a former teammate of Peterson’s, then chimed in with his own personal story about the elite running back.

“There are guys in the NFL that are just really good work ethic and really talented guys, and then there are those guys that are freak of nature guys, and Adrian was one of those freak of nature guys,” Longwell said. “His rookie year he came in as a phenom, a physical specimen. Didn’t really know too much training stuff and was working his tail off.

“We were hosting the team at our house, and he shows up and my son is looking up to him and everything. He shows up, and you know those tubes of cookie dough? So he’s eating it like a popsicle, full-house cookie dough. Only he could eat the cookie dough and lose body fat… Adrian could get away with that, just a really good athlete, unbelievable runner.”

The crowd was then asked if they would like to see Peterson on the Packers, and about only 1/4 of those in attendance appeared to be in favor.

After all the questions were answered, fans lined up and received autographs from the Packers players and Murphy. Anything from jackets, footballs, jerseys and other memorabilia were signed as some snuck in selfies and handshakes with their heroes.

“It’s been a great process for me,” Hundley said of the tailgate tour. “Speaking with all the guys, just to see how the Packers impact the community and touch all these children and fans, it’s been an awesome experience.”