| Draft 2002 News |
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Green Bay Packers Draft Day Notes & Stats
posted 4/20/02
THE PACKERS' INITIAL PICK in the NFL draft Saturday will be the 78th first-round selection in their history. This is only the NFL's 67th annual draft, with the difference in the two numbers being accounted for by the fact that the Packers have had "doubles" in 13 different years of the draft.
THE GREEN AND GOLD'S most productive "doubles" occurred 21 years apart - in 1957 and 1978. In '57, they selected quarterback Paul Hornung of Notre Dame with what was then known as the "bonus" choice - one made with the very first choice in the draft - and then tight end Ron Kramer of Michigan with their selection in the first round which followed.
In '78, they tapped wide receiver James Lofton of Stanford with their first selection in the opening round and linebacker John Anderson of Michigan with a later selection in the round, acquired in a trade which had sent defensive tackle Mike P. McCoy to the Oakland Raiders.
All made major contributions to Green Bay's cause, Hornung helping the Packers win four NFL titles (1961-62 and 1965-66) and Kramer playing a significant role as a starter in their drives to the '61 and '62 titles.
Lofton, who holds the Packers' career record for receiving yards (9,656), was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection during nine Green Bay seasons and Anderson was a 12-year starter, closing out his career with 25 interceptions to tie the legendary Ray Nitschke club record for most "picks" by a linebacker.
THE FIRST-ROUND selections the Packers have made in the 66 previous years of the NFL draft have represented 47 different institutions of higher learning. The list was increased to its present total in 1998 when defensive end Vonnie Holliday became the first University of North Carolina athlete ever chosen by Green Bay in the first round.
A WOLF IS STILL AROUND: Ron Wolf, who presided over the Packers' last 10 drafts, will not be around this weekend to take part in the Packers' selection process but he will be "represented" in the draft room. His 20-year-old son, Eliot, a sophomore at the University of Miami (Fla.) who shares his passion for the nuances of player selection, will be assisting in his 11th consecutive draft. Eliot will be in the Packer "war room" throughout the two-day event and again will be responsible for the posting process - updating the boards of all 32 clubs as they make their selections so that everyone in the Packers' draft central - GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman, Vice President of Football Operations Mark Hatley, coaches and scouts - will be able to see at a glance what has transpired as the draft proceeds.
Ron, who retired as the Packers' executive vice president and general manager in 2001, remains under contract to the organization as a consultant but will not be in the team's draft room this year.
The elder Wolf thus will not be involved in the draft process for the first time in 40 years. He made his debut with the Oakland Raiders in 1963, the year he graduated from the University of Oklahoma, assisting Al Davis in the then-American Football League selection meeting. Overall, he has exercised his draft expertise in behalf of four teams - the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets in addition to the Packers and Raiders.
THE BEST?: As far as Packers historians are concerned, the team's best ever draft was forged in 1958. The Green and Gold secured two Pro Football Hall of Famers during that year's selection meeting - linebacker Ray Nitschke (Illinois) and fullback Jim Taylor (LSU) - and two other all-pros, guard Jerry Kramer (Idaho) and linebacker Dan Currie (Michigan State). Currie was Green Bay's first-round selection that year and Taylor was No. 2, while Nitschke was one of two third-round choices and Kramer was a fourth-round pick.
GOPHERS 'GOLDEN:' The University of Minnesota, historically, has been the Packers' most popular choice in the first round over the 65-year history of the NFL draft. Minnesota's representatives have included running backs Larry Buhler (1939), Hal Van Every (1940) and Darrell Thompson (1990), tackles Urban Odson (1942) and Dick Wildung (1943), center/linebacker Clayton Tonnemaker (1950) and guard Gale Gillingham (1966).
MIXED RESULTS: Packers have had mixed results with first-round draft selections in previous years ending in '2.' Their most productive such pick came in 1972 when they tapped defensive back Willie Buchanon of San Diego State with their initial selection. He went on to post seven seasons as a starter (1972-78) and become a three-time Pro Bowl selection before being traded to the San Diego Chargers in 1979.
The other first-round picks in '2'-years: Tackle Urban Odson of Minnesota
(1942), quarterback Vito "Babe" Parilli of Kentucky (1952), fullback Earl Gros of Louisiana State (1962) guard Ron Hallstrom of Iowa (1982) and cornerback Terrell Buckley of Florida State (1992).
Hallstrom was a journeyman starter in the offensive line for eight seasons during an 11-year career (1982-92) and both Parilli (1952-53 and 1957-58) and Odson (1946-49) played four seasons. Buckley, the fifth player chosen in the '92 draft, wore Green Bay's green and gold for three seasons
(1992-94) before being traded to Miami in 1995.
| ROUND |
OVERALL |
NOTES |
| 1 | 28 | Green Bay |
| 2 | 60 | Green Bay |
| 3 | 92 | Green Bay |
| 4 | 126 | to New England for Terry Glenn |
| 4 | 135 | Green Bay (compensatory pick) |
| 5 | 164 | Green Bay |
| 6 | 200 | Green Bay |
| 7 | 240 | to Tennessee for Rod Walker |
Packers Current Picks in Bold (6 Total)
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