NFL Network today aired a look back at a classic game, the Lions-Packers playoff game of 1993 that turned out to be Brett Favre’s first playoff victory. Aside from it being a classic game, the broadcast showed a clip of Barry Sanders in 1989 at his press conference right after the Lions took him third overall in the draft.

As my focus turns toward April’s draft (and it’s a limited focus; as I’ve stated before, I don’t go crazy over the draft like some other NFL fans), and after blogging about busts earlier, watching Sanders reminded me of the perhaps the biggest whiff in NFL draft history: The Packers drafted Tony Mandarich ahead of Sanders.

Of course, it’s easy to second-guess drafts years later. And Mandarich-ahead-of-Sanders ranks up there with Sam Bowie-ahead-of-Michael Jordan. But think about the fortunes of the Packers and Lions following this turn events. The Lions made the playoffs a few times during the 1990s, mostly thanks to the amazing play of Sanders. Without him, their last few decades would even be sadder. Had the Packers drafted Sanders, then traded for Favre (remember, he started his career with the Falcons, and Green Bay GM Ron Wolf was impressed enough to trade for him in a deal that at the time seemed insignificant), then signed Reggie White, they might have been the dominant team of the 1990s instead of winning just one Super Bowl.

Revisionist history, at least when it comes to the NFL, can be fun. Who from this year’s draft will teams regret they passed over? And who will turn out to be the great bust of 2009?