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The worst NFL draft pick of all time by every team

By Erik Lambert

OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 03: JaMarcus Russell #2 of the Oakland Raiders in action against the Baltimore Ravens during an NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on January 3, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 03: JaMarcus Russell #2 of the Oakland Raiders in action against the Baltimore Ravens during an NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on January 3, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) /
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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 /

12. Green Bay Packers

OL. Michigan State. Tony Mandarich . 12. player. 49.

The pick that was sparked by a magazine cover. That’s not a joke. Anybody who saw the photo of Tony Madarich on Sports Illustrated in 1989 would’ve understood a GM and team getting a little transfixed. He looked like a hulking mountain of a man who could maul any defender he went up against. The problem is photos alone don’t tell the story. Anybody who bothered to watch Mandarich on film would’ve realized he didn’t have the feet to play tackle in the NFL.

Combine that with suspicions that he was on steroids (he showed up to training camp several pounds lighter than expected) and his failure was almost preordained. Sure enough, he was way out of his element when the Packers put him on the edge, often becoming a turnstile to get his quarterbacks clobbered. He started just two seasons for them, left football for five years and didn’t resurface again until 1996 with the Colts.

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