Fansided

Green Bay Packers: 5 worst NFL Draft picks of all-time

By Josh Criswell

Aug 9, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Green Bay Packers helmet on the sideline during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 9, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Green Bay Packers helmet on the sideline during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports /
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CANADA – MAY 28: Big catch: Bruce Clark, 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive lineman from State College and No. 1 draft pick of Green Bay Packers, has signed with Toronto Argonauts. (Photo by Frank Lennon/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
CANADA – MAY 28: Big catch: Bruce Clark, 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive lineman from State College and No. 1 draft pick of Green Bay Packers, has signed with Toronto Argonauts. (Photo by Frank Lennon/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /

5. Bruce Clark (1980: first round, 4th overall)

With the fourth overall pick in the fist round of the 1980 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers were determined to find a nose tackle to anchor their interior line for the foreseeable future. With Notre Dame’s Bruce Clark still on the board at the time, they the organization believed they had a perfect opportunity to fill this role.

Clark was a dominant force during his collegiate career. He won the Lombardi Award as a junior in 1978, honoring the top defensive lineman in college football. As a senior the following season, he was a consensus first team All-American.

With a powerful 6-foot-3, 273-pound former college star available at the No. 4 slot, what could go wrong?

For the Packers, apparently a lot.

Clark, who played defensive end while at Notre Dame, was adamant about not wanting to move inside to the tackle position. Green Bay was either unaware of this, or ignored it completely, and the result was disastrous.

Rather than suiting up for the Packers, Clark elected to take his talents to the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.

After two seasons in Canada, Clark made his NFL with the New Orleans Saints, where he would spend seven productive seasons before finishing his career with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Clark was by no means a bust as an NFL player, but the fact that the Packers wasted a top-five pick on someone that never played a down for them earns him a spot on this list.

Next: No. 4

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