10 Worst 1st-Round Draft Picks in Green Bay Packers History

The worst draft pick in Green Bay Packers history is more than the worst pick in Green Bay Packers history. It’s the worst draft pick in NFL history. Maybe the worst draft pick in the history of sports.

But hey, no need to focus entirely on poor Tony Mandarich. Even a storied franchise like Green Bay has made its fair share of bad draft picks — even during the dynasty years under Vince Lombardi.

Here are the 10 worst draft picks in Packers history. As we did with the worst picks in Pittsburgh Steelers history, we’re only looking at first-round picks. Expectations are much lower after that. Also, we won’t go back further than the 1960s. The draft has always been an inexact science, but scouting departments and draft prep were not a serious thing before then.  

Worst draft picks in Packers history

1. Tony Mandarich, OT, 1989

“The Incredible Bulk,” as he was dubbed ahead of the 1989 draft, started 63 games in six injury-riddled NFL seasons (three with the Packers, three with the Indianapolis Colts). The Michigan State offensive tackle quickly became a poster boy for steroid abuse. But the biggest reason Mandarich is a huge bust is opportunity cost. Mandarich was the second overall pick in ’89, after Troy Aikman went No. 1 to the Dallas Cowboys. The three players drafted immediately after Mandarich? Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas, Deion Sanders. So while four of the top five picks in 1989 are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Mandarich was cut by the Packers after three seasons.

And here’s what really hurts for Packers fans: An otherwise meaningless victory in the 1988 regular-season finale cost Green Bay the No. 1 overall pick, which they were planning to use to draft Aikman.

2. Jerry Tagge, QB, 1972

For a franchise that famously drafted Aaron Rodgers to replace Brett Favre, they didn’t exactly hit the jackpot when it was time to replace Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr back in the day. Starr retired in 1971. A few months later, Green Bay used the 11th overall pick to take Jerry Tagge out of Nebraska. Tagge lasted all of three seasons in the league, throwing three touchdown passes and 17 interceptions.

3. Rich Campbell, QB, 1981

Campbell was the sixth overall pick out of Cal. He was the only quarterback drafted in the first round that year, and clearly he shouldn’t have been a first-rounder, either. Campbell didn’t start a single game in his four seasons with Green Bay. What’s worse, the Packers missed a chance to get future Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, who was taken two picks after Campbell.

4. Brent Fullwood, RB, 1987

Brent Fullwood followed the great Bo Jackson at Auburn, and he was a successful college running back in his own right. But Brent Fullwood was no Bo Jackson. As the fourth overall draft pick, he was a big investment. That never paid off. While he made the Pro Bowl in 1989, Green Bay traded him to the Cleveland Browns for a seventh-round pick in 1990. The trade came after Fullwood took himself out of a game in midseason, claiming he was injured — and then was spotted at a nightclub later that evening. Fullwood appeared in one game for the Browns before they waived him.