Fansided

Every NFL team’s biggest draft whiff of all time

By Brad Rowland

SAN DIEGO - DECEMBER 24: Ryan Leaf
SAN DIEGO - DECEMBER 24: Ryan Leaf /
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24 Sep 1989: Offensive lineman Tony Mandarich of the Green Bay Packers in action during a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California. The Rams won the game, 41-38. Mandatory Credit: Mike Powell /Allsport
24 Sep 1989: Offensive lineman Tony Mandarich of the Green Bay Packers in action during a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California. The Rams won the game, 41-38. Mandatory Credit: Mike Powell /Allsport /

Green Bay Packers – Tony Mandarich (No. 2 pick, 1989)

Tony Mandarich looked like a Hall of Fame player. He just did not happen to play like one.

In fairness, he wasn’t nearly as bad as history suggests, but when you are being compared to Hall of Fame talents, that will happen. The 1989 NFL Draft was loaded at the top, with four of the top five picks (Troy Aikman, Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas, Deion Sanders) eventually landing in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In case you were wondering, Mandarich did not.

He did appear in 45 games, making 31 starts for the Packers from 1989 through 1991, but Mandarich could never make the most of his dominant physical profile. Green Bay does have some other under-the-radar draft failures, headlined by their use of a top 10 pick on Rich Campbell in 1981, but Mandarich is easily the most famous, and the spot in which he was drafted makes the selection look even worse.

There are very few organizations with more draft “wins” than the Packers over the past 25 years, but Tony Mandarich was an undeniable bust.

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