The Green Bay Packers have created champions and dynasties through the NFL Draft, but this franchise has a surprising number of goofs with premium assets for a team with gold-star status.
Between multiple whiffs on first-round quarterbacks, picking a bad tackle over three Hall of Famers, and a No. 6 pick who never started for the team, the Packers are far from perfect.
These are the 25 worst picks for the Packers since 1970, as that marks the start of the "modern" draft era where players would no longer be swiped up by the AFL.
25 worst draft picks in Green Bay Packers history
25. CB Craig Newsome, Arizona State (No. 32 overall, 1995)
On one hand, Newsome was a starter on a Packers team that won a Super Bowl. On the other hand, part of the reason Green Bay was unable to repeat in the Brett Favre era was some questionable defensive decisions. Newsome recorded just four interceptions in his four seasons with the Packers and was not retained long-term.
Newsome spent one year with the 49ers in 1999 before being forced to retire due to some shattered vertebrae. While his Packers career was short and mostly disappointing, his contributions to the 1996 team will never be forgotten.
Passed on: Curtis Martin, Terrell Davis
24. OT Jordan Morgan, Arizona (No. 25 overall, 2024)
Even as Morgan is in the middle of his third year amid some constant offensive line turmoil that has forced him to play a bunch of different positions, Morgan's inability to cement himself as a quality starter on this offensive line is not what the Packers envisioned when using one of their prized assets on him.
Morgan certainly has enough time left to play himself off this list, as shown by Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt coming on strong after years of development. However, any below-average tackle who looks inferior to the linemen drafted around this range is going to have a hard time selling himself to this fanbase.
Passed on: Cooper DeJean, Bucky Irving, Kamari Lassiter
23. S Antuan Edwards, Clemson (No. 25 overall, 1999)
Just when it looked like Edwards, who picked off six passes during his first two seasons with the Packers, was about to get off the ground, injuries managed to pop up. Edwards played just three games in 2001 due to a knee injury, and he lost his starting job in 2002 after a forearm problem.
Edwards would reclaim a starting role in 2003, then lose it after another injury. After 18 more games combined with Miami, St. Louis, and Atlanta, he was done. Edwards had the size and ball skills to be solid, but his body let him down as the Packers' secondary suffered around him.
Passed on: Joey Porter, Aaron Smith
22. S/CB Damarious Randall, Arizona State (No. 30 overall, 2015)
Randall did pick off 10 passes in three seasons with the Packers, but those stats belie two critical issues Green Bay had with him during his tenure. The first one is obvious; he only lasted three seasons as a first-round pick. The second was that his aggressive style of play led to him getting burned as often as he made a great play on the ball.
While Randall supporters will claim the college safety was playing out of position as a cornerback, he was far from a game-changing presence at his old spot when he was traded to the Cleveland Browns before the 2018 season. Randall would never play another NFL game after the 2020 season, leaving many to wonder what he could have become with more consistency.
Passed on: Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter, Tyler Lockett
21. OT Mark Koncar, Colorado (No. 23 overall, 1976)
Much like Edwards, Koncar was another player who was never healthy enough to fulfill the Packers' belief in him. Originally billed as a 10-year starter on the offensive line, Koncar missed the entire 1978 season with an injury and played just one game in 1980. He started 52 games over five years.
After five games with the Houston Oilers in 1982, Koncar was out of the league. Considering some of the Hall of Famers picked in the middle rounds after this selection, including a tackle in Jackie Slater, some shrewder scouting could have helped the Packers avoid dumping so much responsibility on Koncar's plate.
Passed on: Steve Largent, Harry Carson, Jackie Slater
20. DE Shawn Patterson, Arizona State (No. 34 overall, 1988)
Being a huge draft bust is not reserved only for first-round picks. Picked high in the second round, Patterson never showed the pass-rush juice needed to match the pre-draft hype. In six seasons with the Packers, including a 1992 campaign he missed due to injury, Patterson recorded just 11 sacks.
Patterson, who only started 13 games in Green Bay and only once played more than 11 games in a season, retired after the 1993 campaign due to knee troubles. Considering the Hall of Fame running back and offensive lineman picked after him, Green Bay assuredly would like a redo here.
Passed on: Thurman Thomas, Dermontti Dawson, Bill Romanowski
19. CB Kevin King, Washington (No. 33 overall, 2017)
Packers fans of a certain age will descend into a fit of hysterics and start foaming at the mouth whenever King's name is mentioned. Selected with the first pick of the second round in 2017, King's 6-3 frame was let down by a lack of quickness and awareness in zone coverage.
King picked off seven passes in five seasons with the Packers, though five of them came in the 2019 season. After sitting out the 2022 and 2023 seasons and a brief cameo with the Falcons in 2024, King hung up his cleats. The stats won't do King and his incredibly vulnerable style of play any justice.
Passed on: Budda Baker, Cooper Kupp, Alvin Kamara
18. CB Vinnie Clark, Ohio State (No. 19 overall, 1991)
Clark actually managed to carve out a respectable six-year career, earning starting jobs with the Falcons and expansion Jaguars after his time in Green Bay came to an end. Unfortunately for Clark, that time in Green Bay only lasted two seasons, as he lost his starting job midway through the 1992 season.
Without the speed needed to play consistently excellent man coverage at the NFL level, Clark's gambling style gave him a propensity to get burned. Clark would pick off 13 passes in his career, but Packers fans may not remember him very fondly due to how often they saw the back of his jersey while an opponent streaked into the end zone.
Passed on: Brett Favre (oddly enough), Aeneas Williams, Ricky Watters
17. RB Darrell Thompson, Minnesota (No. 19 overall, 1990)
After demolishing UM's record books, the Packers thought that Thompson would be the steady bell cow to take their offense to the next level. Even alongside Brett Favre, Thompson's lack of explosiveness (career 3.5 yards per carry) ultimately put a very strong cap on his overall ceiling.
Thompson would muster just 1,641 yards on the ground and seven rushing touchdowns in five seasons with the Packers before fading out of the league after the 1995 season. Thompson has found success after football, serving as the CEO of a non-profit and commentating on Golden Gophers football games since 1998.
Passed on: Shannon Sharpe, Rob Burnett
16. CB Ahmad Carroll, Arkansas (No. 25 overall, 2004)
Yet another late first-round defensive back who didn't pan out—are you perhaps noticing a trend here? Carroll was a speed demon and top-shelf athlete, but his propensity to commit untimely penalties at the worst time and struggle against physical receivers brought about his downfall.
Cut midway through his third season in Green Bay, Carroll would latch on as a seldom-used depth piece for the Jets before fading out of the league. The number of times "holding, defense No. 28" echoed throughout Lambeau Field during the 2004 and 2005 seasons was sickening.
Passed on: Jared Allen, Karlos Dansby
15. CB Eric Stokes, Georgia (No. 29 overall, 2021)
While some younger Packers fans never got to see Carroll play, they were soon granted their own version when Stokes came to town. After batting down 14 passes during an up-and-down rookie season, Stokes embarked upon a historic streak of futility in which he did not record a pass breakup between the 2022 and 2024 seasons.
To give Stokes credit, he has since proven to be a solid addition to a Las Vegas Raiders defense that also employs former top Packers pick Quay Walker. However, Stokes was drafted to be a game-changing defensive back, and he very rarely even played like an above-average corner.
Passed on: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Quinn Meinerz, Creed Humphrey
14. QB Brian Brohm, Louisville (No. 56 overall, 2008)
Brohm was a tremendously productive college quarterback, and he was drafted in the second round as insurance for Aaron Rodgers possibly struggling. Brohm never played for the Packers, spending 2008 as the third-stringer behind Rodgers and Matt Flynn. After the 2009 preseason, Brohm was cut.
Brohm would throw five picks and no touchdowns on just 52 pass attempts over two seasons with the Bills. While he is a late second-round choice, using a Top-60 pick on someone who was as productive with the Packers as anyone reading this is a major scouting error. Brohm has since become the offensive coordinator at his alma mater under his brother Jeff, who serves as head coach.
Passed on: Jamaal Charles, Carl Nicks
13. DL Datone Jones, UCLA (No. 26 overall, 2013)
If there was ever a player who embodied the word "tweener" across Packers history, it's Jones. The 280-pounder was not quick enough to beat NFL offensive tackles as an edge rusher, but he wasn't strong enough to add weight and transition inside. The Packers spent a first-round pick to learn that lesson.
Jones ended his Packers career after just four seasons with 72 tackles and nine sacks, mostly staying out of the starting lineup. He had power, but Jones was a stiff athlete, and a Packers pass rush that needed a difference-maker to turn things around for Aaron Rodgers in the mid-2010s was dealt a fatal blow when he didn't pan out.
Passed on: Travis Kelce, Keenan Allen, Tyrann Mathieu
12. EDGE Lukas Van Ness, Iowa (No. 13 overall, 2023)
As a side effect of the Aaron Rodgers trade, Green Bay technically moved up from No. 15 to No. 13 to select Van Ness. This was always a risk, as Van Ness was never a full-time starter at Iowa. Betting on the traits has largely proven to be a mistake for Brian Gutekunst and the Packers.
Even though he showed life to start 2026, Van Ness recorded 8.5 sacks in his first three seasons and never managed to assume a starting role until Micah Parsons' injury forced him into one. The Packers are running out of time to see Van Ness take some steps forward.
Passed on: Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jack Campbell
11. FB Barty Smith, Richmond (No. 12 overall, 1974)
Smith managed to play in Green Bay for seven seasons, even winning the team's Offensive Player of the Year award in 1977 while tallying 1,942 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. That's a solid career for a third-round pick, not someone who was picked with the intention of being the focal point of the team's offense.
Not only did the 6-3, 240-pound Smith lack the athleticism needed to become a high-end pro player, but much like another famous Packers bust, he was picked over many Hall of Famers. The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted four Hall of Famers this year, and all of them came after Smith. One of them may have made the 70s less putrid for Green Bay.
Passed on: Mike Webster, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, Randy Gradishar, Lynn Swann
10. OT John Michels, USC (No. 27 overall, 1996)
Selected one pick after Ray Lewis, Michels is a sad story of what could have been. After working his way into the starting lineup during his 1996 rookie season, which culminated in a championship, Michels suffered a destabilizing knee injury five games into the 1997 season that wiped out the rest of that campaign.
Michels tried to get back on the field, but more injuries prevented him from ever making an impact again with either the Packers or Eagles. While this isn't his fault, Michels being picked over a few Hall of Famers is not the best look for the front office members who banged their heads together over this one.
Passed on: Terrell Owens, Zach Thomas, Brian Dawkins
9. LB Mark D'Onofrio, Penn State (No. 34 overall, 1992)
D'Onofrio is in the Michels school of Packers busts. Picked high in the second round with the thought that he would be a perpetual presence in the team's linebacking corps, D'Onofrio's career with Green Bay lasted just two games due to an injury. D'Onofrio didn't even try to latch on with many other teams before calling it a career.
After retiring, D'Onofrio has become a very well-respected college assistant coach who has helped send dozens of players to the NFL. However, strictly as far as the Packers are concerned, they would likely want some sort of do-over with this selection (and a clean bill of health for D'Onofrio).
Passed on: Jimmy Smith, Darren Woodson
8. WR Barry Smith, Florida State (No. 21 overall, 1973)
Part of the reason the Packers had some very dark days between Bart Starr and Brett Favre was picks like this. The 6-1 Smith went from one of the key members of Bobby Bowden's early Seminoles teams to someone wholly unequipped for life as a wide receiver in the NFL.
After three years with the Packers, Smith had just 41 catches and barely over 600 yards receiving. After one more season with the brand-new Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Smith was out of the NFL. Within five picks of this selection, two more Hall of Fame players came off the board.
Passed on: Joe DeLamielleure, Ray Guy, Dan Fouts
7. OT Derek Sherrod, Mississippi State (No. 32 overall, 2011)
There were many reasons why Sherrod didn't amount to much in the pros, chief among them an injury in the 2012 season that cost him his sophomore campaign. At the end of the day, however, Sherrod was just not worth the draft status, and starting one game in three seasons confirms that.
Sherrod may have been an All-American player in college, but when he came to the pros, he just did not have the spice needed to get this offensive line on track. He became the first in a long line of busted offensive linemen from the Aaron Rodgers era.
Passed on: Jason Kelce, Richard Sherman, Andy Dalton
6. RB Brent Fullwood, Auburn (No. 4 overall, 1987)
What's worse than a running back who gets picked No. 4 overall and is out of the league in four years after failing to even run for 2,000 yards in the pros? How about one who was selected just six picks before one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history? What about one who left a game early, claiming illness, and was later seen at a nightclub the same night?
Fullwood was not only incapable of following in the footsteps of all the great Packers of yesteryear, but he did so with an extra degree of panache. After he was traded, the Browns released him after just a handful of games. The fact that Fullwood even made a Pro Bowl in 1989 and was out of the league after 1990 should speak volumes.
Passed on: Rod Woodson, Rich Gannon, Greg Lloyd
5. DT Justin Harrell, Tennessee (No. 16 overall, 2007)
Some may give Harrell some slack due to injuries. While that can explain why he did not last very long in the NFL, Harrell was performing poorly when he was healthy. By the time his career ended, Harrell had played in just 14 games and started two. That would have been a bad return on a fifth-round pick, let alone the No. 16 overall choice.
Harrell's injuries, which cost him most of his Packers career, were the final nail in the coffin of a tenure that just was not going to work, no matter how much they tried. Harrell would be at the top of most franchises' biggest draft whiffs, but Green Bay has a surprising number of swings and misses at this point in the order.
Passed on: Joe Staley, Marshal Yanda, Eric Weddle
4. OL Tony Mandarich, Michigan State (No. 2 overall, 1989)
Hear me out. The possibly chemically-enhanced Mandarich was not very good in Green Bay, and whiffing with a No. 2 pick is the kind of thing that gets GMs fired. In this case, it did, as Tom Braatz was let go in 1991. Being sandwiched between Troy Aikman in front of him and the trio of Barry Sanders, Deion Sanders, and Derrick Thomas after him is a brutal fate.
However, Mandarich at least managed to hold his own briefly as a starter, both in Green Bay and Indianapolis. In fact, Mandarich's NFL comeback led to him blocking for a young Peyton Manning. Mandarich was a huge whiff, but the magnitude of said whiff is due to the players picked around him, which Green Bay could not control.
Passed on: Barry Sanders, Deion Sanders, Derrick Thomas
3. QB Jerry Tagge, Nebraska (No. 11 overall, 1972)
Any of the top three may have an argument for the top spot. In Tagge's 12 NFL starts, he threw just three touchdown passes and a mind-blowing 17 interceptions. His stint in Green Bay is one of the worst in NFL history for a player who was somehow given as long of a leash as he was.
Tagge was under center for the 1971 Cornhuskers, a team many believe to be the greatest in college football history. However, that was a run-first team that only threw out of necessity. Drafting wasn't as exact a science as it is today, which led to "winners" like Tagge being picked way above where he should have been.
Passed on: Franco Harris, Lydell Mitchell, Cliff Branch
2. DE Jamal Reynolds, Florida State (No. 10 overall, 2001)
It's easy to forget Reynolds was even on the Packers, as he was buried on the depth chart from the moment he touched down in Green Bay. Reynolds didn't get on the field for his first 10 weeks as a Packer, and he would never start a single game in parts of three seasons.
Reynolds was so beaten up with injuries that when he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts, the move was negated due to a failed physical. Reynolds finished his career with 18 tackles and three sacks after receiving billing as someone who was supposed to be one of the key cogs in Brett Favre's later Packers career.
Passed on: Drew Brees, Reggie Wayne, Steve Smith
1. QB Rich Campbell, Cal (No. 6 overall, 1981)
Campbell didn't make a start in his entire career. This isn't even a Trey Lance or Josh Rosen situation where they were booted out of the room after a few games. Campbell, who was rooted behind veteran Lynn Dickey during his time in Green Bay, only played in case of injury or the game being out of hand.
Campbell believes that offensive coordinator Bob Schnelker didn't think he had the arm strength to succeed in the NFL. When he did play, some Packers fans probably wish he hadn't. Campbell threw just three touchdown passes against nine interceptions in the NFL and never got in a game after he left Green Bay. Ronnie Lott went two picks later, by the way.
Passed on: Ronnie Lott, Mike Singletary, Howie Long
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