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2000 DRAFT NOTES AND STATS
posted 04/15/00
 | | GM Ron Wolf has been involved in the NFL Draft process since 1964. |
WHO WILL BE NUMBER 75?: Although the current draft is only the 65th in National Football League annals, the player the Packers choose with their initial pick will be the 75th first-round selection in their history. The difference is accounted for by the fact that they have had "doubles" (two first round choices) in 12 different years, beginning in 1957 when they claimed Notre Dame's Heisman Trophy winner, Paul Hornung, with what was then known as the "bonus choice" - literally drawn out of a hat under the lottery system then in operation - and then selected tight end Ron Kramer of the University of Michigan with their first-round pick.
The Packers' most recent "double" occurred in 1993 when they drafted linebacker Wayne Simmons of Clemson with the initial of two first-round picks, then selected safety George Teague of Alabama with the second.
WOLF HAS HIGH BATTING AVERAGE: Up-to-date research reveals that Ron Wolf, the Packers' executive vice president and general manager, has fared better in the last seven years of the NFL draft than most of his fellow personnel chiefs around the league.
Beginning with the 1993 selection meeting, Wolf has chosen 64 players in the seven intervening drafts and 48 of them are still playing, which means that three out of every four players he has selected over that span are still gainfully employed in the NFL, a glittering .750 "batting average."
THE FIRST ROUND selections the Packers have made in the 64 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.
IT'S TIME: Based on the Packers' past draft history in years ending in "zero" - as the current year does - it is about time for the football fates to be kind to the Green and Gold with their first pick this time around. Only in 1960 - when they claimed running back Tom Moore of Vanderbilt with their first choice - did they fare well. Moore helped the Packers reach the NFL championship game four times and win three NFL titles - in 1961, 1962 and 1965.
The Packers' other first-round picks in years ending in '0' and their years of service:
1940 - Hal Van Every, halfback, Minnesota, 1940-41;
1950 - Clayton Tonnemaker, center/linebacker, Minnesota, 1950, '53 and '54;
1970 - Mike P. McCoy, defensive tackle, Notre Dame, 1970-76;
1980 - Bruce Clark, defensive tackle, Penn State (went to the CFL and never played for Green Bay).
1990 - Tony Bennett, linebacker, Mississippi, 1990-93.
IT'S NO. 37 FOR GM: Ron Wolf today is involved in the draft process for the 37th consecutive year. He is presiding over Green Bay's draft for the ninth year in a row.
Wolf made his draft debut with the Oakland Raiders in 1964, just one year after leaving the University of Oklahoma, assisting Al Davis with choices for the Oakland franchise in the then AFL selection meeting. Overall, he has applied his draft expertise in behalf of four teams - the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets in addition to the Packers and Raiders.
LIKE FATHER...Wolf's 18-year-old son, Eliot, also is a draft veteran. Eliot, who will be graduating from Notre Dame Academy this spring, is working his ninth consecutive draft. As engrossed in the draft process as the head of the house, he will be in the team's "war room" throughout the two-day event. He again will be responsible for the posting process - updating the boards of all 31 clubs as they make their selection so that everyone in the Packers' draft central - Wolf, Head Coach Mike Sherman, coaches and scouts - will be able to see at a glance what has transpired as the draft proceeds.
TWO NEW FACES are making their debut in the Packers' draft room this time around - Vince Workman, pro personnel assistant, and Lenny McGill, a former defensive back for the Green and Gold (1994-95) and the newest member of the team's scouting staff.
MINNESOTA'S NUMBER ONE: Historically, the University of Minnesota has been the Packers' most popular choice in the first round over the 64-year history of the draft. Green Bay seven times has selected a Golden Gopher in the opening round. 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).
BEST EVER?: In the judgment of Packers historians, the team's best draft ever occurred three decades ago. The year was 1958 and the Packers found 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.
GREEN BAY PACKERS SELECTIONS:
Round 1: 14
Round 2: 44
Round 3: 74
Round 4: 108, 114, 126*
Round 5: 132, 149, 151
Round 6: -
Round 7: 224, 229, 242*, 249*, 252*
* compensatory picks
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