Your NFL team's Worst. Draft. Ever.

Stunner that he wouldn't actually be dead.

 

Green Bay Packers 1989. Mandarich gets the headline and deservedly so; just to review, the four picks after aikman.

2. Tony Mandarich GB
3. Barry Sanders DET
4. Derrick Thomas KC
5. Deion Sanders ATL

The Packers' list beyond that is similarly inspiring -- at least they got a kicker:


1989 Draft

Round - Pick (Overall Pick)
1-2 (2) - Tony Mandarich, Michigan State, T
3-2 (58) - Matt Brock, Oregon, DE
3-18 (74) - Anthony Dilweg, Duke, QB
4-3 (87) - Jeff Graham, Long Beach State, QB
5-12 (124) - Jeff Query, Millikin, WR
5-15 (127) - Vince Workman, Ohio State, RB
6-3 (142) - Chris Jacke, Texas-El Paso, K
7-2 (169) - Mark Hall, Southwestern Louisiana, DE
8-3 (198) - Thomas King, Southwestern Louisiana, DB
8-11 (206) - Brian Shulman, Auburn, P
9-2 (225) - Scott Kirby, Arizona State, T
10-3 (254) - Ben Jessie, Southwest Texas State, DB
11-2 (281) - Cedric Stallworth, Georgia Tech, DB
12-3 (310) - Stan Shiver, Florida State, DB

 

Jeff Query. I remember him.

The Packers liked those small-school Illinois guys. They had at least one other one during that time.

 

That's a sucky draft, but believe it or not, five of those guys had careers that lasted six years or more.

The worst draft of the 80s was probably this one in 1983 ... with a caveat ...

1 11 Tim Lewis DB Pittsburgh
2 48 Dave Drechsler G North Carolina
4 104 Mike Miller WR Tennessee
5 132 Bryan Thomas -- Pittsburgh
6 160 Ron Sams G Pittsburgh
7 188 Jessie Clark RB Louisiana Tech
8 216 Carlton Briscoe -- McNeese State
9 243 Robin Ham -- West Texas A&M
10 253 Byron Williams WR Texas-Arlington
10 271 Jimmy Thomas -- Indiana
11 299 Bucky Scribner P Kansas
12 327 John Harvey -- USC

Scribner and Clark were the only players whose careers went past 1986 -- and both were woodwork.

Lewis is the unfortunate victim here. He was an All-Pro corner in 1984 and seemed to be on the path to a fine career until he suffered a career-ending neck injury early in 1986. He never played again, but has carved out a long career as a NFL assistant coach.

It kind of breaks my own rule to call a draft a "bust" based on injury (see Ki-Jana Carter), so I guess this one is a combination of star-crossed and sucky.

The Packers have oh so many doozies from that era and the 70s. Bruce Clark, their 1980 No. 1 overall pick, went to the CFL rather than sign with the Packers. He ultimately ended up on the Saints.

Their mid-70s drafts are so bad, you really can't pick just one. Here's the cavalcade of suck from 1973-76. Players who played more than 100 NFL games are bolded:

1976 - Green Bay Packers
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
1 23 Mark Koncar T Colorado
3 72 Mike McCoy DB Colorado
4 101 Tom Perko LB Pittsburgh
5 132 Aundra Thompson WR Texas A&M-Commerce
8 218 Jim Burrow DB Nebraska
9 245 Jim Gueno LB Tulane
10 274 Jessie Green WR Tulsa
11 301 Curtis Leak WR Johnson C. Smith
12 328 Melvin Jackson G USC
13 355 Bradley Bowman -- Southern Mississippi
14 386 John Henson -- Cal Poly-S.L.O.
15 413 Jerry Dandridge -- Memphis
16 440 Mike Timmermans -- Northern Iowa
17 467 Ray Hall -- Cal Poly-S.L.O.

1975 - Green Bay Packers
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
2 47 Bill Bain G USC
3 58 Willard Harrell RB U. of Pacific
4 88 Steve Luke DB Ohio State
7 165 Tony Giaquinto -- Central Connecticut State
9 217 Jay Lynn Hodgin -- South Carolina
10 244 Bill Cooke DT Massachusetts
11 269 Bob Martin -- Washington
12 296 Carlos Brown QB U. of Pacific
13 321 Bob Fuhriman -- Utah State
14 348 Stan Blackmon -- North Texas
15 373 Randy Allen -- Southern University
16 400 Bob McCaffrey C USC
17 425 Tom Ray -- Central Michigan

1974 - Green Bay Packers
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
1 12 Barty Smith RB Richmond
5 116 Steve Odom WR Utah
6 134 Don Woods RB New Mexico
6 142 Ken Payne WR Langston
7 168 Bart Purvis -- Maryland
8 194 Monte Doris -- USC
8 200 Ned Guillet -- Boston College
9 220 Harold Holton -- Texas-El Paso
10 246 Doug Troszak -- Michigan
11 272 Eric Torkelson RB Connecticut
12 298 Randy Walker P Northwestern State-Louisiana
13 324 Emanuel Armstrong -- San Jose State
14 350 Andy Neloms -- Kentucky State
15 376 Dave Wannstedt -- Pittsburgh
16 402 Mark Cooney LB Colorado
17 428 Randy Woodfield -- Portland State

1973 - Green Bay Packers
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
1 21 Barry Smith WR Florida State
3 74 Tom MacLeod LB Minnesota
6 152 Tom Toner LB Idaho State
7 177 John Muller -- Iowa
8 202 Hise Austin DB Prairie View A&M
9 230 Rick Brown -- South Carolina
10 255 Larry Allen -- Illinois
11 280 Phil Engle -- South Dakota State
12 308 Larry McCarren C Illinois
13 333 Tim Alderson -- Minnesota
14 358 Jim Anderson -- Northwestern
15 386 Reggie Echols -- UCLA
16 411 Keith Pretty -- Western Michigan
17 436 Harold Sampson -- Southern University

McCarren was a late-bloomer who was a Pro Bowler twice in the early 80s.

Bain had a long career ... with the Los Angeles Rams.

McCoy was a woodwork defensive back in the Packers' crappy secondaries of the late 70s and early 80s.

And frankly, I have no idea how Harrell played 100 NFL games. He never had more than 435 rushing yards in a season. He was a kick returner, and presumably a special teams guy, mostly with the St. Louis Cardinals.

 

One thing bears fans can share in the misery with us who root for the Dolphins is this - the worst draft in my teams history is any that were run by Dave Wannstache

 

The Colts had a lot of lousy drafts when Bob Irsay made Jim the GM, likely topped by blowing No. 1 and 2 picks -- overall! -- on Steve Emtman and Quentin Coryatt. The smartest move GM Jim Irsay made was firing himself after his dad died.

 

I actually thought those were not awful picks, although the Dolts probably could have traded down and done the same thing. Then Emtman got hurt all the time. Coryatt was a serviceable LB for a time, I think.

 

Gabe Rivera was Miles Drentell's dentist on "thirtysomething." I have no idea how I remember that.

 

Detroit Lions. Matt Millen. The body of work speaks for itself.

 

One note on the 1974 Packers draft...that last pick was Randy Woodfield from Portland State...later known as the I-5 Killer.

www.mysterycrimescene.com/i-5-killer.html

Steelers drafted four hall of famers that year. can't win them all.

 

Also, the No. 3 and 4 picks were Sean Gilbert and Desmond Howard. It is not like there were future Hall of Famers all over the first round. In some drafts, just getting serviceable guys turns out to be a success.

 

Exactly. Blame Rodgers because Trent Dilfer, Akili Smith, David Carr and Joey Harrington all sucked or were mediocre in the NFL.

Nevermind that Alex Smith did nothing in college to indicate that he was capable of running a Pro style offense.

A friend who covers the Niners said it was such a foregone conclusion for so long that they would be taking Rodgers that they just got scared at the end and went with Smith, who they knew very little about.

Complete stupidity.