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Mike Vandermause column: Packers' first round filled with flops, follies
By Mike Vandermause
First-round draft choices are far from a sure thing in the National Football League. Just ask the Green Bay Packers.
An assessment of the Packers' No. 1 picks dating to the NFL merger in 1970 shows a long list of misfits, no-shows and busts.
Of the Packers' 42 first-round selections from 1970 to 2006, just one — receiver James Lofton — has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Just eight, or 19 percent, have been invited to the Pro Bowl.
Maybe that helps explain why the Packers have captured only one championship in the past 40 years. First-round picks are supposed to build a franchise's foundation, but far too many of the Packers' top choices have drifted into oblivion.
After reviewing close to four decades of Packers first-round picks, here are some observations:
Quarterback Brett Favre wasn't drafted by the Packers, so he isn't included in team draft lists. But the best use of a first-round choice in franchise history, bar none, was former General Manager Ron Wolf's decision to trade the No. 17 overall pick in 1992 to the Atlanta Falcons for Favre. Perhaps Wolf should have traded more of his first-rounders. Of his 11 No. 1 picks from 1992 to 2001, only tight end Bubba Franks earned a Pro Bowl berth.
Two of those choices were top-10 selections, which are considered can't-miss prospects. Of course, we know better. Terrell Buckley (No. 5) and Jamal Reynolds (No. 10) were two of the biggest stiffs drafted during the Wolf era.
To Wolf's credit, he overcame his first-round struggles to build a championship team in Green Bay by finding gems in later rounds, making key trades and signing impact free agents.
There have been so many first-round clunkers that choosing the worst should be a challenge. However, Dan Devine, a former coach and general manager, made it an easy decision by inexplicably dealing two first-round picks (plus two seconds and a third) for over-the-hill quarterback John Hadl in 1974. It will go down as the worst trade in NFL history.
But let's not forget the waste of the No. 2 overall pick in 1989 on tackle Tony Mandarich, a blunder that was magnified because Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders was taken with the next selection. Or flushing away the No. 4 overall pick in 1980 on Bruce Clark, who fled to Canada and never played a down for the Packers. Or trading the No. 14 overall pick in 1986 for cornerback Mossy Cade, who spent more time in prison than on the Packers' roster.
Despite Devine's colossal giveaway, the Packers were loaded with first-round picks in the 1970s. They had two first-rounders in 1970, 1972, 1977, 1978 and 1980, which gave them 15 first-round picks in the span of a decade. But when the Packers should have been reaping the benefits, they were suffering through one of their longest droughts.
The Packers went to the well seven times to select a first-round cornerback, more than any other position. But their luck ran dry after 1972, when they chose three-time Pro Bowler Willie Buchanon. Since, the Packers have been plagued at cornerback by injuries (Tim Lewis, Craig Newsome) and incompetence (Vinnie Clark, Buckley, Antuan Edwards, Ahmad Carroll).
The Packers' best draft success came at wide receiver, even though they missed badly on Barry Smith in 1973. Since, they hit the jackpot with Lofton, Sterling Sharpe and Javon Walker.
Don't hold your breath on the Packers' No. 16 overall pick next week. Just two of 14 (14 percent) Packers selected between Nos. 11 and 20 in the first round earned a Pro Bowl berth.
Mike Vandermause is sports editor of the Press-Gazette.
By Mike Vandermause
First-round draft choices are far from a sure thing in the National Football League. Just ask the Green Bay Packers.
An assessment of the Packers' No. 1 picks dating to the NFL merger in 1970 shows a long list of misfits, no-shows and busts.
Of the Packers' 42 first-round selections from 1970 to 2006, just one — receiver James Lofton — has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Just eight, or 19 percent, have been invited to the Pro Bowl.
Maybe that helps explain why the Packers have captured only one championship in the past 40 years. First-round picks are supposed to build a franchise's foundation, but far too many of the Packers' top choices have drifted into oblivion.
After reviewing close to four decades of Packers first-round picks, here are some observations:
Quarterback Brett Favre wasn't drafted by the Packers, so he isn't included in team draft lists. But the best use of a first-round choice in franchise history, bar none, was former General Manager Ron Wolf's decision to trade the No. 17 overall pick in 1992 to the Atlanta Falcons for Favre. Perhaps Wolf should have traded more of his first-rounders. Of his 11 No. 1 picks from 1992 to 2001, only tight end Bubba Franks earned a Pro Bowl berth.
Two of those choices were top-10 selections, which are considered can't-miss prospects. Of course, we know better. Terrell Buckley (No. 5) and Jamal Reynolds (No. 10) were two of the biggest stiffs drafted during the Wolf era.
To Wolf's credit, he overcame his first-round struggles to build a championship team in Green Bay by finding gems in later rounds, making key trades and signing impact free agents.
There have been so many first-round clunkers that choosing the worst should be a challenge. However, Dan Devine, a former coach and general manager, made it an easy decision by inexplicably dealing two first-round picks (plus two seconds and a third) for over-the-hill quarterback John Hadl in 1974. It will go down as the worst trade in NFL history.
But let's not forget the waste of the No. 2 overall pick in 1989 on tackle Tony Mandarich, a blunder that was magnified because Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders was taken with the next selection. Or flushing away the No. 4 overall pick in 1980 on Bruce Clark, who fled to Canada and never played a down for the Packers. Or trading the No. 14 overall pick in 1986 for cornerback Mossy Cade, who spent more time in prison than on the Packers' roster.
Despite Devine's colossal giveaway, the Packers were loaded with first-round picks in the 1970s. They had two first-rounders in 1970, 1972, 1977, 1978 and 1980, which gave them 15 first-round picks in the span of a decade. But when the Packers should have been reaping the benefits, they were suffering through one of their longest droughts.
The Packers went to the well seven times to select a first-round cornerback, more than any other position. But their luck ran dry after 1972, when they chose three-time Pro Bowler Willie Buchanon. Since, the Packers have been plagued at cornerback by injuries (Tim Lewis, Craig Newsome) and incompetence (Vinnie Clark, Buckley, Antuan Edwards, Ahmad Carroll).
The Packers' best draft success came at wide receiver, even though they missed badly on Barry Smith in 1973. Since, they hit the jackpot with Lofton, Sterling Sharpe and Javon Walker.
Don't hold your breath on the Packers' No. 16 overall pick next week. Just two of 14 (14 percent) Packers selected between Nos. 11 and 20 in the first round earned a Pro Bowl berth.
Mike Vandermause is sports editor of the Press-Gazette.
