As such, here is the cover of Sports Illustrated from 30 years ago today:
Mandarich ended up being selected #2 overall by the Green Bay Packers in 1989. Not only did he fall far short of the expectations that come with being chosen that high, but the other four picks in the top five of that '89 draft (Troy Aikman, Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders) all had Hall of Fame careers.That's not to say Mandarich was completely worthless as an NFL player. In fact, he resurrected his career when he switched from Tackle to Guard with the Indianapolis Colts in the mid 1990s. He ended up making 32 starts over three seasons in Indy, including 10 in Peyton Manning's rookie season of 1998.
Since my Minnesota Vikings are desperate for offensive line help, it's a strong possibility they will look to fill that need in the first round on Thursday. But as we've learned so often, Super Bowl caliber rosters are not always formed in the opening round. Let's just say that if the Vikings claim they drafted the next Ron Yary or Gary Zimmerman, I will maintain a healthy skepticism.
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I remember how excited we all were that the great Mandarich was going to be a Green Bay Packer, clearing the way for exciting running back Brent Fullwood.
ReplyDeletePut it this way -- 1992 and forward healed a lot of wounds.
Put it this way -- 1992 and forward healed a lot of wounds.
ReplyDeleteTrue dat.
So when Ron Wolf traded a first rounder for Brett Favre, how was that received? Was Favre even that well known among Packers faithful?
So when Ron Wolf traded a first rounder for Brett Favre, how was that received? Was Favre even that well known among Packers faithful?
ReplyDeleteIt was received with skepticism, until Favre hit Kittrick Taylor with a touchdown pass to beat the Bengals in 1992. The guy the Falcons drafted with that pick (a running back named Tony Smith) never did anything, by the way, primarily because Jerry Glanville, who dumped Favre, didn't approve of the pick. Glanville just buried the guy on his bench and he ultimately ended up in the CFL.