Mandarich Recruited to Michigan State University by defensive back coach Nick Saban, Mandarich played in the 1988 Rose Bowl and was named a First-team All-American, an Outland Award finalist and a two-time Big Ten Lineman of the Year. Upon his entry into the 1989 NFL Draft, both scouts and media (most notably Sports Illustrated, which did a cover story on him, nicknaming him "The Incredible Bulk" began trumpeting Mandarich as the best offensive line prospect ever, touting his "measurables." "He weighed 330, ran the 40 [yard dash] in 4.65 seconds, did a standing long jump of 10'3", leaped vertically 30" and bench-pressed 225 pounds an unheard-of 39 times". He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated twice
Going into the 1989 draft, Mandarich was considered one of the best prospects for an offensive lineman ever and a top-five pick. Mandarich was selected second overall by the Green Bay Packers.
Drafted as an offensive tackle, Mandarich never lived up to the stellar expectations set for him. After a lengthy holdout, which was not settled until the week before the regular-season kickoff, he spent most of his first year on the special-teams unit. After three seasons of lackluster performance on a four-year contract, Mandarich was cut in 1992 by the Packers . Mandarich is often referred to as one of the top 5 bust NFL draft picks of all time, having been drafted ahead of such future NFL stars as Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas, Deion Sanders, Steve Atwater, Eric Metcalf, and Andre Rison. The September 28, 1992, cover of Sports Illustrated featuring Mandarich labelled him "The NFL's Incredible Bust".
