Green Bay Packers: 15 best first-round draft picks of all-time
By John Buhler
Best first-round draft picks in Green Bay Packers history: 9. John Brockington
If only it could have lasted. Running back John Brockington entered the NFL in a blaze of fury out of Ohio State. The former Buckeye tailback exploded with three straight Pro Bowl seasons right out of the gate from 1971 to 1973. Green Bay took him No. 9 overall in 1971 to become the franchise’s next great bell-cow back.
As a rookie in 1971, Brockington had 216 carries for 1,105 and four touchdowns. This would earn him his first Pro Bowl honor and his only All-Pro nod in his NFL career. Brockington would also take home the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year for the 1971 NFL season.
He would make two more trips to the Pro Bowl in 1972 and 1973 before sadly rapidly decaying as a productive tailback into his late 20s. Once running backs Donny Anderson and MacArthur Lane left the team, Brockington just wasn’t the same player.
He briefly played with the Kansas City Chiefs before retiring in 1977. Brockington retired with 1,293 carries for 5,024 yards and 29 touchdowns with the Packers. He is a member of the Packers Hall of Fame, as well as the Ohio State Football All-Century Team.