The Green Bay Packers are the modern standard bearers when it comes to building a franchise through the NFL Draft, but that doesn't mean they haven't come up snake eyes with their share of first-round mistakes. Here's our list of the 3 Biggest First-Round Busts For The Packers Since 2000.
3. CB Ahmad Carroll (#25 overall, 2004)
After ranking 23rd in pass defense during the 2003 season, along with getting burnt on a fabled 4th-and-26 by the Eagles in the playoffs, Green Bay was in desperate need of a new lockdown corner.
They tabbed Carroll in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft to do just that. However, he was manhandled by taller receivers in 11 games during his rookie year, and ultimately ended up being traded to Jacksonville in 2006 after 27 starts with the team.
2. DT Justin Harrell (#16 overall, 2007)
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Ted Thompson took a chance on Harrell who missed the majority of his senior season with a torn biceps. While that injury didn't really come into play during his four-year stint in Green Bay, a litany of other injuries (ankle, back, knee) led to him missing 31 of a possible 32 games in 2009 and 2010 (injured reserve).
Released in 2011, Harrell played just 14 regular-season game with Green Bay and failed to record a sack.
1. DE Jamal Reynolds (#10 overall, 2001)
This was former GM Ron Wolf's last first-round draft pick, and it was a doozy.
Green Bay traded backup QB Matt Hasselbeck to Seattle in order to trade up for a Reynolds -- a pass rusher who had explosiveness to spare and a nose for snuffing out ball carriers. The Packers gave him $9.5 million over five years with a $4 million signing bonus, convinced they'd found a defensive stalwart for years to come.
However, Reynolds' undersized frame didn't hold up in the NFL, and he never started a game during three injury-riddled seasons with the team. He played in just 18 regular-season games for the team, recording three sacks.
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