Who was the Packers first pick in 1986? How many quarterbacks did they draft in the first round? How many players from Wisconsin schools have the Packers drafted in the modern era?
10 biggest first-round draft busts in Green Bay Packers history
10. Randy Duncan, QB, Iowa (No. 1 overall, 1959)
New Packers head coach Vince Lombardi had the first overall pick and used it on the best quarterback in college football – Duncan (above right), who’d led the Hawkeyes to a pair of Rose Bowl victories. The day the Packers drafted him, Duncan finished as the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
The only problem? Duncan never played a snap for the Packers – choosing instead to play in Canada for more money.
He spent two years with Vancouver, then played one season with the Dallas Texans and retired to go to law school, becoming a highly-successful lawyer in Des Moines. Lombardi and the Packers ended up doing OK, too – thanks to a quarterback who was a 17th-round draft pick in 1956: Bart Starr.
9. Bruce Clark, DT, Penn State (No. 4 overall, 1980)
Speaking of players who opted to go to Canada rather than play in Green Bay, Clark warned the Packers before the draft that he did not want to play for them because he did not want to play nose tackle in the Packers' 3-4 scheme. Although, when the Packers’ brain trust visited with Clark on the Penn State campus, he might not have been as clear with his intentions as legend may have it.
Nevertheless, the Packers drafted Clark anyway, and Clark made good on that vow − instead of coming to Green Bay, he went instead to the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts. He didn’t come back to the NFL until 1982, joining the New Orleans Saints. He played eight NFL seasons − seven with the Saints and one with the Kansas City Chiefs.
8. Brent Fullwood, RB, Auburn (No. 4 overall, 1987)
The Packers, coached by legendary tough-guy Forrest Gregg, wanted was a workhorse back who could carry the offensive load and give the pass-first offense a rugged running game. Tom Braatz, the head of football operations, thought Fullwood was that player – despite scouts on his staff who disagreed with him.
Although Fullwood did have one productive season in 1989 (821 yards) and was selected to the Pro Bowl, his penchant for fumbling was too much to overcome. He ran for just 124 yards in 1990, took himself out of a game because of a tummy ache and was shipped to the Cleveland Browns.
7. John Michels, OT, USC (No. 27 overall, 1996)
A one-year starter in college, Michels (above right) was a disappointment, to be sure. Forced into the starting lineup (after veteran left tackle Ken Ruettgers’ retirement) as a rookie on a Super Bowl-bound team, he was so bad that journeyman Bruce Wilkerson took over on the road to Super Bowl XXXI.
Michels lost the starting job again the following year to first-round pick Ross Verba, suffered a knee injury in 1998 and was traded to Philadelphia in 1999.
But it’s the pick the Packers didn’t make that made this such a tough draft failure. A Packers rep was on the phone with a 20-year-old linebacker from Miami (Fla.) during the 26th pick, certain he was about to be the Packers’ choice at No. 27. Instead, the Baltimore Ravens took that linebacker and left GM Ron Wolf scrambling to pick someone else − resulting in Michels being the pick. That linebacker the Packers almost had? Ray Lewis, who’ll go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer.
6. Ahmad Carroll, CB, Arkansas (No. 25 overall, 2004)
After Ron Wolf took Terrell Buckley in 1992 and he flopped, the Packers set a height threshold of 5-foot-11 for drafting a cornerback. Coach/GM Mike Sherman ignored that measurable when he took Carroll, who famously got into a post-meeting fistfight with fellow cornerback Joey Thomas – drafted two rounds later in 2004 – when Thomas (rightfully?) claimed that the only reason Carroll was playing ahead of him was his draft status.
In the ultimate ironic twist, the Packers coaches later tried to curb the handsy Carroll’s incessant grabbing of receivers while in coverage by having him wear – wait for it – boxing gloves during practice.
5. Terrell Buckley, CB, Florida State (No. 5 overall, 1992)
Buckley (above left) ended up having a more-than-respectable 14-year NFL career that included 50 interceptions. But his three-year stay in Green Bay was a colossal disappointment.
One of the lowest points: When he let Minnesota’s Eric Guilford get behind him for a 45-yard last-minute completion to set up a game-winning field goal in 1993 because he didn’t think Vikings quarterback Jim McMahon could throw the ball that far – which he confessed to thinking afterward.
Worse yet, GM Ron Wolf opted for the 5-foot-9 Buckley over University of Wisconsin cornerback Troy Vincent, who was taken by the Miami Dolphins two picks later, played 16 NFL seasons and was selected to five Pro Bowls. Wolf later traded Buckley to the Dolphins for “past considerations.”
4. Jamal Reynolds, DE, Florida State (No. 10 overall, 2001)
After sending backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to Seattle in a February trade, the Packers moved up from No. 17 to No. 10 in the 2001 draft. Future Pro Football Hall of Fame GM Ron Wolf, not wanting to step on coach/GM-to-be Mike Sherman’s toes, bowed to the coaching staff’s wishes on several picks, including Reynolds.
At the NFL scouting combine that year, Wolf had famously introduced himself to Miami (Fla.) linebacker Dan Morgan in a meeting by saying, “Dan Morgan? Ron Wolf. You’re a hell of a football player. If you’re there at (No. 10), you’re a Green Bay Packer.” On draft day, members of the publicity staff handed out Morgan’s bio, thinking he was the pick. Reynolds, degenerative knee problem and all, turned out to be the actual pick, and he registered just three sacks in three years before the Packers dumped him.
3. Justin Harrell, DT, Tennessee (No. 16 overall, 2007)
General manager Ted Thompson was booed for the pick by fans at the team’s annual draft party that year, and while fans aren’t always rational about draft picks, they were right on the money with Harrell, who came to Green Bay as damaged goods – he missed most of his final season at Tennessee with a torn biceps – and was constantly hurt during his short stay in Green Bay.
Ankle, back and knee injuries limited him to just 14 regular-season games, and he had no sacks in four years. Not only that, but the Cleveland Browns called during the draft wanting to trade for the 16th pick to take Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, but the Packers kept the pick – and missed out on adding extra selections – only to waste it on Harrell.
2. Tony Mandarich, OT, Michigan State (No. 2 overall, 1989)
On other lists of all-time draft busts − not just Packers picks, but in NFL Draft history − Mandarich’s name is at or close to the top of the list. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated before the draft with the moniker “The Incredible Bulk.” By 1992, he was back on the cover of SI as “The Incredible Bust.”
There’s no denying that the 6-foot-5, 311-pound admitted steroid user was a bust, starting 31 games at right tackle in 1990 and ’91 before missing the 1992 season because of post-concussion issues and a thyroid problem. And it didn’t help that the other four players taken in the top 5 − Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas and Atlanta Falcons cornerback Deion Sanders − all went on to Pro Football Hall of Fame careers. But the Packers weren’t the only ones who were high on − and turned out to be wrong about − Mandarich. Had they not taken him, he almost certainly would have still gone in the top 5 − and another team would have suffered the ignominy of missing out on a Hall of Fame player in favor of a hall of fame bust.
1. Rich Campbell, QB, California (No. 6 overall, 1981)
No moment epitomized why the Packers spent so much of the 1970s and ‘80s wandering in the wilderness than what happened in the draft room when Campbell was selected. Campbell, with an unorthodox throwing style and less-than-NFL caliber arm strength, was supposed to be coach Bart Starr’s (above center) quarterback of the future. West coast scout Lloyd Eaton, who personally scouted Campbell, thought it was a terrible idea − but Starr and assistant coach Zeke Bratkowski didn’t listen. They were certain Campbell was the guy.
“So I'm sitting at the back of the room with Lloyd, and Bart makes the pick. And Lloyd, who hasn't said anything to me all day, leans over to me and says, 'That's a bad pick,’” retired Packers president/CEO Bob Harlan, who at the time was an assistant to the team president, recalled. “I say, 'What do you mean, that's a bad pick?' He says, 'That's a bad pick.' I can't believe what I'm hearing. I said, 'Why don't you say something?' And he just shakes his head and says, 'They won't listen to me.' So we took him, and you know the rest.”
The rest: Campbell spent four forgettable seasons in Green Bay, playing in just seven games − starting zero − while backing up Lynn Dickey, David Whitehurst and Randy Wright. And the player Eaton had scouted, liked and recommended that the Packers take? USC defensive back Ronnie Lott, who went two picks later to the San Francisco 49ers − and went on to a Pro Football Hall of Fame career.
Jason Wilde covers the Packers for ESPN Wisconsin. Listen to him with former Packers and Badgers offensive lineman Mark Tauscher weekdays from 9-11 on "Wilde & Tausch" on 100.5 FM ESPN Madison.
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10 best first-round picks in Green Bay Packers history
10. Willie Buchanon, CB, San Diego State (No. 7 overall, 1972)
The 1972 NFL defensive rookie of the year, a two-time Pro Bowl selection and a first-team All-Pro in 1978, Buchanon might have been a Pro Football Hall of Famer if not for the career-altering broken left leg he suffered in October 1973. After helping the Packers to the NFC Central division title in 1972, the leg injury — in which Buchanon fractured both the tibia and fibula — was considered career threatening at the time, but Buchanon bounced back to play nine more solid seasons in the NFL — five more in Green Bay and four in San Diego. But those who watched him before his injury will always wonder just how good he might have been.
9. John Brockington, RB, Ohio State (No. 9, 1971)
With a high-knee running style and a punishing approach, Brockington was the first running back in NFL history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons. He fell short of 1,000 yards in his fourth season, but he still ran for 883 yards with five touchdowns while setting career highs in receptions (43) and receiving yards (314). Half of a dynamic backfield tandem with MacArthur Lane, Brockington’s production suffered after Lane was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs after the 1974 season and Bart Starr took over as head coach, replacing Dan Devine and changing the Packers’ offensive system.
8. Gale Gillingham, G, Minnesota (No. 13, 1966)
With legendary guard Jerry Kramer finally having earned his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction, Gillingham, a Madison native, is now arguably the greatest Packers player not in the Hall. Drafted to eventually replace Lombardi Era greats Fuzzy Thurston and Kramer, Gillingham was a man ahead of his time as an early adopter of the value of weightlifting. He was a backup as a rookie and earned his first Super Bowl ring; after Thurston retired after the 1966 season, Gillingham moved into the starting lineup and earned his second Super Bowl ring. Despite coach Devine’s ill-advised decision to move him to defensive tackle midway through his career, Gillingham ended up being a six-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowl selection during his 10-year career.
7. Clay Matthews, OLB, USC (No. 26, 2009)
In a rare move in 2009, Packers general manager Ted Thompson traded back up into the first round to take Matthews, a third-generation NFL player who’d seen limited action at USC for much of his career. But his football bloodlines showed through and he enters his 10th NFL season having been selected to six Pro Bowls while holding the franchise’s all-time record for sacks with 80. But his most memorable play has to be the fumble he forced during Super Bowl XLV, when the Pittsburgh Steelers had captured the momentum. The Packers might not have won their 13th title without it.
6. Sterling Sharpe, WR, South Carolina (No. 7, 1988)
The Packers have had plenty of really good wide receivers over the past three decades during their renaissance, but the best of the bunch — and the one whose truncated career inspires lots of what-ifs — was Sharpe. Before his career-ending neck injury, Sharpe never missed a game in his seven seasons in Green Bay, catching 595 passes for 8,134 yards and 65 touchdowns in only 112 games. Chosen by GM Tom Braatz and the personnel staff that preceded Ron Wolf & Co., Sharpe led the NFL in receptions three times, in receiving yards once and in touchdowns twice, including his NFL-leading and Packers single-season franchise record 18 TDs in 1994. The brevity of his career appears to be the only thing keeping him from enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
5. Herb Adderley, DB, Michigan State (No. 12, 1961)
A five-time all-pro, five-time Pro Bowl selection and member of the 1960s all-decade team and NFL’s 50th anniversary team, not only was Adderley a great cover corner in his heyday, his speed and coverage skills would have translated well to today’s game and he’d probably have been a star now just like he was then. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980, teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Bart Starr once called Adderley “the greatest cornerback to ever play the game.” He’ll get no argument here.
4. Dave Robinson, LB, Penn State (No. 13, 1963)
He could get after the quarterback, set the edge against the run and cover tight ends. There wasn’t anything Robinson couldn’t do on defense. A two-way player in college at Penn State before joining the Packers immediately after the Nittany Lions’ Gator Bowl appearance (a game in which he was the MVP), Robinson went to three Pro Bowls, helped the Lombardi Era Packers to their back-to-back victories in the first two Super Bowls and was finally elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013 as a seniors committee nominee. Some, including former Packers defensive tackle and defensive coach Dave Hanner, believed he was better than the great Ray Nitschke. "I know people think I'm crazy,” Hanner once famously said, “but if you had to pick between Nitschke and Dave Robinson, I'd take Dave Robinson."
3. James Lofton, WR, Stanford (No. 6, 1978)
For all of Lofton's talent — he was named All-Pro four times and broke Don Hutson's team record of 488 career receptions, finishing with 530 — he found himself on some of the Packers’ most mediocre teams. The Packers went just 59-75-3 during Lofton's career in Green Bay, and he wound up burnishing his Pro Football Hall of Fame résumé with the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Raiders. But from the moment he arrived at training camp as a rookie, quarterback Lynn Dickey knew the Packers had someone special.
2. Paul Hornung, RB, Notre Dame (No. 1, 1957)
The Golden Boy, as Hornung was famously known, was also the man who made the famed Lombardi Sweep go. The legendary coach called him “the greatest player I ever coached" and "the best all-around back ever to play football" because he did everything during that era as a runner, passer and kicker. And while Jim Taylor carried more frequently than Hornung did when they shared the Packers backfield, it was Hornung who usually toted the rock on the power sweep.
1. Aaron Rodgers, QB, California (No. 24, 2005)
Imagine what it must have been like for Ted Thompson, in his first year as the Packers general manager, getting ready to make his first-ever pick in the NFL draft, to watch Rodgers tumble down the draft and remain on the board at No. 24. With Brett Favre still on his roster, Thompson’s first pick would define him — and set the Packers with back-to-back Pro Football Hall of Fame-caliber quarterbacks. As excruciating as Rodgers’ 4 1/2-hour green room wait must have been at the Jacob Javits Center in New York, his remarkable career is proof positive that good things really do come to those who wait. Set to enter his 18th NFL season and 15th as the Packers' starting quarterback, Rodgers endured the rocky transition from Favre during the infamous Summer of 2008, delivered a Super Bowl XLV championship in 2010 and won four NFL MVPs (2011, 2014, 2020 and 2021) along the way. He’s also insisted that he intends to play into his 40s, which means at least another two years with this 39th birthday looming in December.
But it all began on April 24, 2005 — with Thompson having the guts to pick a player that no one ahead of the Packers in the draft wanted that year and a player who wasn’t going to help the 2005 team holding a clipboard behind football’s ultimate ironman.
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