7 draft picks the Packers gave up on too soon
In the Super Bowl era, only two NFL franchises have won more games than the Green Bay Packers (Cowboys, Steelers). A team as good as the Packers for that outrageous length of time is bound to be great at team-building, specifically through the NFL Draft.
The Packers have been outstanding through the years when it comes to the NFL Draft, and they have picked their spots in free agency. For as good as they have been at building contending rosters, however, the Packers have undoubtedly had some whiffs when it comes to letting players go prematurely.
There have been a number of players in Green Bay's history that the team has given up on too soon, as these players have gone on to have some crazy success elsewhere. You can't keep everyone, and finances play a part in some of these, but which players have the Packers maybe given up on a little too soon?
Kurt Warner, QB (UDFA, 1994)
Alright, we're breaking the rules on this one because anytime you get the chance to remind people that Kurt Warner was initially signed by the Green Bay Packers as a free agent, you've got to do it.
Warner's path to NFL stardom was unconventional, but he wasn't exactly discovered while checking out groceries as the Hollywood tale might have you believe.
Sure, the Packers had Brett Favre on the roster, but they were on the hunt for a strong QB2 and incidentally stumbled into a bunch of prominent starting quarterbacks during the 1990s and 2000s. While Favre was on the roster, the Packers drafted or signed:
- Mark Brunell (eventual Jaguars starter)
- Aaron Brooks (eventual Saints starter)
- Matt Hasselbeck (eventual Seahawks starter)
- Kurt Warner (eventual Rams/Cardinals starter)
It's pretty unbelievable when you look back on it. The backups the Packers have drafted/signed have been better than many teams' drafted starters.