Plays like this earned Carroll a place on this very dubious list
General managers insist it takes at least three years to grade a draft, but that doesn’t stop the media from giving out report cards less than 24 hours after Mr. Irrelevance is announced and Mel Kiper Jr. climbs back into his basement. It’s absolutely ridiculous. Nobody knows how Jerel Worthy will play in the NFL – not even the scouts who studied him 24/7 for the past six months. How big a crapshoot is the draft? Well, the Packers under Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson have been about as good in late April as any team, and yet the past two decades have still produced an awful lot of early round busts in Green Bay (granted, many of them occurred under Mike Sherman’s reign of terror). Anyway, here’s a list of the 20 worst picks over the past 20 years:
20- LB ABDUL HODGE (2006/3rd/67): He was a tackling machine at Iowa, but a lack of speed and bad knees ended his time in Green Bay after only 8 games and 10 total tackles. He kicked around for three more seasons before his career ended in 2010.
19- DB MARQUES ANDERSON (2002/3rd/92): The former UCLA star showed some potential as a rookie (62 tackles and 4 INTs), but he regressed in his second season and was traded to the Raiders after the ’03 season. He went on to play with the Broncos and 49ers before finding himself out of the league for good in 2006.
18- DT STEVE WARREN (2000/3rd/74): Many scouts thought he was too small (6’0, 295) to play in the NFL, but Wolf wasn’t one of them. They were right and he was wrong. The former Nebraska star amassed only 14 tackles and 1 sack in three seasons and was out of the league by 2003.
17- RB LESHON JOHNSON (1994/3rd/84): The former Northern Illinois star ran like the wind and put up spectacular numbers in college, but he lacked toughness. He would run to the sideline at the first hint of contact. He was cut by the Packers after two seasons and wound up rushing for a total of 955 yards in his career.
16- DL JONATHAN BROWN (1998/3rd/90): The former Tennessee star was released by the Packers after only one season. That almost never happens to a third-round pick. After failing to stick with the Broncos in 2000, he went on to have a successful professional career in Europe and Canada.
15- LB TORRANCE MARSHALL (2001/3rd/72): Wolf’s last draft was one to forget. The former Oklahoma star looked like the next Lawrence Taylor, but unfortunately, he played more like Elizabeth Taylor. He managed only 65 tackles in his first three seasons before moving to fullback in ’04.
14- CB JOEY THOMAS (2004/3rd/70): The former Montana star was part of one of the worst draft classes in league history (thanks Sherman). Beating up Ahmad Carroll was the only memorable thing he did in his two seasons with the Packers. Spent time with New Orleans and Miami, but was out of the NFL by 2009.
Sander (11) proved to be a better holder than punter
13- P B.J. SANDER (2004/3rd/87): Sherman traded up to get the former Ohio State star and then compounded the mistake by keeping him around in ’04 as the backup punter. It’s always risky to draft a punter in the third round, but it’s downright foolish to draft one in the third round with a weak leg. He was out of the league after two seasons.
12- PK BRETT CONWAY (1997/3rd/90): Wolf drafted the former Penn State star to replace Chris Jacke, but he was a disaster in his first training camp. He missed kick after kick and eventually injured a hamstring. While he sat on IR, Ryan Longwell got the job and held it for the next decade.
11- WR DERRICK MAYES (1996/2nd/56): The former Notre Dame star was the original Mr. August. He would put up staggering numbers in the preseason and then do next to nothing once the real games started. He caught only 54 passes in three season with the Packers before being traded to Seattle for a late pick.
10- DL DONNELL WASHINGTON (2004/3rd/72): He’s the second member of the class of ’04 to make this list. The former Clemson star had incredible physical ability, but he was an underachiever in college. He reported to his first training camp out of shape and quickly got hurt. He didn’t play a game for the Packers in two seasons.
9- DB GEORGE TEAGUE (1993/1st/29): His 101-yard interception return in the 1993 playoffs was his one highlight in three seasons with the Packers. He then made headlines with the Cowboys in 2000 when he shoved Terrell Owens off the star logo at midfield. Unfortunately, he did little in the years in between.
8- CB FRED VINSON (1999/2nd/47): Drafted to help defend against Randy Moss, the former Vanderbilt star never had the speed or quickness to cover NFL receivers. That didn’t stop Mike Holmgren from trading for him in 2000. All the Packers got back in return was Ahman Green, who went on to rush for 9,205 yards.
7- CB ANTUAN EDWARDS (1999/1st/25): The former Clemson star had prototypical size and speed, but he was a tweener. He wasn’t quick enough to play corner or tough enough to play safety. The Packers moved him all over in a desperate attempt to salvage his career, but they gave up after five nondescript seasons.
6- OT JOHN MICHELS (1996/1st/27): Baltimore chose Ray Lewis right before the Packers were to pick, so Wolf settled for the former USC star. He looked more like a tight end than a left tackle when he reported to his first training camp. He eventually showed some potential, but knee injuries ended his career by 2000.
5- CB AHMAD CARROLL (2004/1st/25): Along with Thomas and Washington, he was part of a draft class so bad that Vinny Cerrato laughs at it. The former Arkansas star ran fast, but he lacked height and had absolutely no instincts. Thompson couldn’t wait to get rid of him, and he did just that early in the ’06 season.
4- CB TERRELL BUCKLEY (1992/1st/5): Wolf’s first pick as GM was one of his worst. He chose the diminutive former Florida State star over local hero Troy Vincent and lived to regret it. Buckley wound up intercepting 50 passes in 14 seasons, but his three years in Green Bay had far more lows than highs.
Brohm never saw the field in his one season with Packers
3- QB BRIAN BROHM (2008/2nd/56): There aren’t too many Thompson picks on the list, but here’s the second of three. The former Louisville star was a prolific passer in college, but he looked scared from the moment he arrived in Green Bay. He was so bad that the Packers parted ways with him after only one season.
2- DL JUSTIN HARRELL (2007/1st/16): Here’s the second Thompson pick, and it’s a doozy. The former Tennessee star battled injuries in college and his bad luck continued in the NFL. But it wouldn’t be fair to place all the blame on injuries for his disappointing three-year career. He showed little even when healthy.
1- DL JAMAL REYNOLDS (2001/1st/10): We still don’t know who was responsible for this pick. Wolf and Sherman have blamed each other for years. The former Florida State star never showed any of the explosiveness he flashed in college. Without that, he had no answer for tackles who outweighed him by 60 pounds.
Looking at this list, it’s hard to believe that the Packers have been one of the best teams in the NFL for the past 20 years. It just goes to show how difficult it is to judge college players, and how absurd it is to assign grades the day after a draft. By the way, I didn’t include Mark D’Onofrio (1992/2nd/34) or Terrence Murphy (2005/2nd/58) on this list because their careers were busts due to injury and not incompetence. Defensive linemen Darius Holland (1995/3rd/65) and Kenny Peterson (2003/3rd/79) and safety Aaron Rouse (2007/3rd/89) just missed being included. Here’s hoping that none of the young men selected by Green Bay last weekend end up on a list like this five years from now.
Great article but I would like to move 1 on the list. IMO you are being way too nice about the B.J. Sanders pick, I think it should be top 5. From trading up to keeping two punters, it’s a long series of really stupid decisions. On most of the other picks the Packers just missed but with Sanders, every decision is mind boggling.
Thanks. I was hoping to get more reaction. Anyway, no question Sander wasn’t any good, but he was a better punter than Reynolds was a defensive lineman and Brohm was a quarterback. Plus, he wasn’t picked nearly as high. The fact that Sherman traded up to get him didn’t matter to me. I simply looked at where the player was drafted and how he performed.
All your points are certainly true. I guess I still can’t get over keeping two punters on the roster – there really is no defense for that. BTW, I think the list is a lot of fun. Some of these guys, like Jonathan Brown, I hadn’t thought about in years.
You went pretty EZ of TT. He has had 8 drafts as Packer GM. Let’s exclude current draft since we have no idea yet how things will work out. In those 7 drafts he has had about 80 picks and about a dozen turned into quality players. Couldn’t anyone so as well? For the life of me I don’t understand how that equates to a great drafter or even a good one. And now we learn that his two best picks he didn’t even really want that much.
Lots of FA and two great accidental picks are the primary reasons for the Pack’s recent success. The Pack has been good more despite TT than because of him. I know this isn’t a popular view but it is mine.
I sure hope this draft goes down as a great one. TT took lots of risks but he was desperate to retool our defense. I understand that and have no fault with his strategy. In fact, it was exactly what I was begging for prior to the draft. It all comes down to whether he selected the right guys. And, as well all know, that will take some time to know. Look, most fans still believe AJ Hawk was a good draft pick.
As far as the topic of immediate post-draft grades is concerned, I think people interpret them wrong. It’s not as though analysts have new evaluations of the players. It’s still about how they perceived the value of the players taken compared to when they were taken and how they may fit their new team’s scheme and needs. It most definitely is not meant to be the final evaluation of how the team drafted. I would think everybody would understand that but it seems nobody does. Instead, it is fashionable to knock all post-draft reports for being something they were not intended to be. Now admittedly, some picks could be so poor that we know right away but those are few and far between.
My grade for this Packer draft: focused, targeted, w high risk/high reward players at the top. In the end, could be an F or an A+. Such analysis would not be well received for obvious reasons – it doesn’t tell you a whole lot. By the end of year 3 we should know what grade is deserved although even then it will be judgmental and what I call a C another could call an A or vice versa. Such is the nature of the beast.
Grading Scale:
3 Quality Starters w No Pro Bowlers = Average = C.
For every Pro Bowler I’d a full grade. For every additional quality starter I’d add a half a grade. Same in reverse.
2 to 3 quality back-ups = 1 quality starter.
**crickets**
I guess I don’t agree that Michael went easy on Thompson’s drafts. I can only see 3 top picks that aren’t in this list that would qualify (Rouse, Lee, & Neal). I wouldn’t argue at all if Rouse or Lee replaced any of the guys in the late teens but they aren’t any worse than the guys on the list. This seems pretty minor to me.
IMO Neal should be on the list but then again I am pretty pessimistic about his return, he could still turn it around and turn into a player. Maybe Michael felt it was too early to include Neal, can’t argue much with that if he feels that way.
Some people may think Hawk or Jackson could sneak in but IMO they contributed too much to be on this list.
Who are the guys that you think Michael left off that should have been included? I just don’t see any glaring omissions.
“And now we learn that his two best picks he didn’t even really want that much.”
Rodgers & Clay Matthews?? You can’t be serious
Andrew Brandt has already told us Rodgers was the only player left on the board with a 1st round grade and TT traded 3 picks for Clay. Yes he really wanted both.
You’re entitled to your opinion but you don’t know what you’re talking about. This team would be in the sewer if it wasn’t for TT & his drafting prowess.
And now we learn that his two best picks he didn’t even really want that much.
Matthews and Rodgers?
If so, how do you know ‘he didn’t even really want that much”? Didn’t he trade up for CM3?
To demonstrate his disapproval, of course. When I traded for my car I did so to let the world know how much I hated it.
The information is out there. hint: Andrew Brandt.
The ‘information’ from Brandt was that TT knew that drafting AR would lead to a meltdown from Mississippi, which Brandt got stuck with dealing with after the pick was made. Saying he ‘didn’t really want’ Rodgers is spin at best, BS at worst. Kinda hard to ‘not really want’ a guy in CMIII he traded so many picks for, which of course led to screaming that TT got fleeced right after that trade.
Collins
Bishop
CMIII
Raji
Sitton
Lang
Bulaga
Jennings
Jones
Nelson
Cobb
Finley
Crosby
Flynn
Rodgers
That’s not luck, and no, not just ‘anyone’ could do as well. If you want proof, look at the fool who preceded him for how to draft horribly and screw up a franchise from its very foundation.
Hey easy there Ricardo,
Facts are facts, this team sucks.
Maybe he didn’t really want Harrell and Brohm.
Incorrect. His scouts etc. were divided between Henne and Brohm. TT chose Brohm.
Harrell was TT’s guy from the git-go. Many experts considered it a high risk pick (injuries) and a bit of a reach. Harrell was a hot name though, in the final days leading to that draft. And, supposedly, Denver was prepared to draft him if TT didn’t. Brohm and Harrell were definitely TT’s picks. TT also preferred Raji over CMIII. TT loves size. Possibly because he was an undersized back-up LB back in the day.
I liked LaShon Johnson. Dude had all the speed you could want. When he was playing in Arizona, it came out he was legally blind or something like that. LOL. They fitted him with glasses like Charlie Sheen in Major League and I think he was better, at least catching the ball. He was their all time single game rushing leader for awhile. Dunno if he still is. I think he beat cancer when he was with the Giants.
Torrance Marshall could have been great, but iirc he just didn’t have much between the ears. They had to tell him where to stand on every play.
Brett Conway. LOL. Getting drafted like that got inside his head. Psyched him out. Fortunately Longwell was the real deal. There were all these weird rumors about why they got rid of Chris Jacke.
Terrell Buckley gets somewhat of a bad rap. He actually did go on to have a long career. He was just one of those “undersized” types of dudes. Iirc, the first time he touched the ball as a pro, he ran back a punt ALMOST all the way to the house, then fumbled it. LOL. Thing about T-Buck was that he at least had the skills. A guy like Roland Mitchell, who could never get his head around to look at the ball when it was in the air was absolutely maxed out as far as his talent level. And he was below average. So with Terrell Buckley I at least felt like he had the POTENTIAL to not suck.
Ah, those were the days! Two decades of great football in front of us!
Lashon Johnson wasn’t the wimp you made him up to be, Michael. He was just straight “lineish”. Dude would take that ball and run full speed into the line. No moves, and he took some hellacious hits.
FWIW LeShon Johnson was from Northern Illinois not Southern Illinois.
Thanks. Fixed it.
Lashon and Ryan Grant are kinda cut from the same mold.
Not even remotely close to the same player.
Straight-line speed guys. Neither could block or catch. I have met Ryan Grant and had a beer with him. Ryan comes off as a great guy. Never met Leshon. But you knew I wasn’t referring to their personalities, right?
Leshon Johnson: 6′ 205, Top end speed, ran high, few moves, little power. Pleaded guilty to dog fighting in 2005.
Ryan Grant: 6’1″ 222, Intelligent player, mediocre to below average speed, one cut, solid power. Awesome dude.
Interesting report on Packers.com today about Tramon Williams and his shoulder injury. Apparently, a month after the season ended, his PT conducted a strength test that showed his strength in injured shoulder was about 50% of that in his healthy shoulder. Wow! The crazy part was that neither he nor the Packers had any idea he had lost strength in the shoulder. He is continuing rehab and claims the shoulder is better but he doesn’t say if it’s 100%. He also talks about the mental strain of being seriously injured for the first time in his life.
With fingers crossed, here’s to a bounce-back season for TW. Wasn’t it Nick Collins that hit him in the shoulder? Double bad luck there.
Good chance both draft picks at DB could be starting in 2012. Ditto Perry and Worthy. And I would expect Manning and Daniels will help out in some nickel/dime sub-packages. Getting AJ Hawk off the field on likely passing downs is a step in the right direction. If Pack plays base only 25% of the time, tough to justify paying Hawk and Pickett 10% of their salary cap. It seems doubtful they will let either of them go this year but we could be looking at their final year in GB. Hawk, Pickett, Clifton, Driver and Collins will be where they get the money to extend the current superstars.
Saw an article today that projected Datko as the Pack’s starting LT early this season.
I thought Michael was easy on TT too until I read down to Brohm and Harrell, who are both right where they belong—near the top. Given his “three year to judge a draft” parameter, Neal won’t appear on the list until he updates next year. Then, Neal will certainly be on the top ten bad draft picks.
I think its important to understand than some if these day after grades are simply grading how well the GMs wheeled and dealed in the draft. The Vikings should get an A for the their trade back. The Browns would receive an F. I don’t think the graders would even think to say their grades indicate any degree of player success.
12 of the 20 were by Ron Wolf. TT was here for most of those. And TT has 2 of 3 worst on his own. And that doesn’t count Neal or Hawk. To me Hawk should be #1 because he actually gets PT.
How many GMs have won a Super Bowl? Thompson is among that select group. He’s not perfect, but he’s drafted a ton of good players. He also had the balls to hire a head coach who had been the coordinator of the worst offense in the league and to say no to a legendary quarterback when he wanted to return. Ted Thompson is an excellent GM who 90% of the teams in the league would line up to hire if he were available.
Don’t argue with a guy that just wants to blow himself. Pointless.
When I think of Justin Harrell I think of the players taken before him that year. Adrian Peterson 7th overall to the Vikings, Marshawn Lynch 10th to the Bills, Patrick Willis 13th to the 49ers and Darrelle Revis to the Jets at 14.
Sitting their at 16 was a bad idea, I thought it then and we know it now.
Thompson has not been great at drafting alone but hes been good enough finding talent after the money rounds of the draft (Finley 3rd, Sitton 4th, Bishop 6th, finding quality undrafted FAs (Sam Shields and Zombo) young players discarded by other teams(Tramon Williams, John Kuhn) a handful of unrestricted FAs(Woodson and Pickett) and a decent trade for Ryan Grant.
Even the Great Ron Wolf wasn’t that great in the draft but he took a more active approach to free agency to build his teams. Some seem to forget that free agency only started in 1993 and Wolf ended up with the top FA at the time in Reggie White along with a few others. It was new and cool and no one really knew the pitfalls of FA at that time.
Overall TT has done and admirable job considering Clifton and Driver were the last two remaining players from the Wolf/SHerman era. He put together one of the youngest teams in football won a SB and went 15-2 in back to back seasons.
This year he has shown that he understands he has a real good team but was missing some key components on defense and went about fixing that the best way he knows how. I can’t wait to see what the new class of draftees has to offer, and what improvements we get to see from last years draft picks.
I’ve been told TT was locked in on Justin Harrell all the way. Never was enticed to move up like the Jets did to grab Revis.
Here’s to Marc Tyler, Wendell’s kid. Welcome to GB. I’m pulling for him to stay on the straight and narrow and show us the mettle that his dad had. ADVICE to Marc, there are a lot of bar stools in GB so don’t mistake the calm and quiet for lack of temptation see Favre/Chmura and countless others, including many from the glory years. Slow down and think about tomorrow. Think about having half the NFL career that your dad did.
Spoiled brat won’t even make PS.
Good list and good logic behind it. I’d put BJ Sander #2 – I’m sorry, but if you draft a punter in round #3, he should play for 10+ years and make multiple Pro Bowls. That’s like a top 10 pick at most other positions (except guard).
I’d still give Harrell an injury break – if you’re giving one to Murphy and D’Onofrio, you’ve got to blame injuries for at least some part of Harrell’s lack of production.
The bombs in ’04 boggle the mind. Wow!