Why do people always pick on the Cleveland Browns?
With literally decades of anguish as one of the NFL’s most successful teams, the Browns have turned into a league-wide embarrassment and the laughingstock of the entire sports world. With zero Super Bowl trophies in the case, the Browns have one of the longest-running streaks of not making the playoffs in the four major sports.
However, if you think lack of opportunity is the catalyst of their struggles, think again. Just in the past decade alone their front office has had a king’s ransom of Top-100 draft selections, including numerous first-round picks, specifically inside the top-10. Franchises like the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers haven’t seen top-10 draft picks in years, yet have consistently reached the playoffs and made deep runs.
I took a look back at their last five drafts alone, and despite an absurd nine first-round picks, the team has just four of those players still on their roster — the four most-recent selections. This organization is anything but organized and will continue to be at the bottom of the league’s barrel until it changes its poor drafting.
Since 2012, the Browns have used 27 different draft picks inside the top-100 picks. That’s the most of any other team during that time period, and it’s not even close.
Of those 27 picks, 12 of them aren’t on the team anymore, and six of them aren’t even in the league (Justin Gilbert, Johnny Manziel, Leon McFadden, Trent Richardson, Brandon Weeden, John Hughes).
I went back and showed why the Browns could easily own the youngest and most talented roster in the league if they had hit on even half of these selections.
2012
ACTUAL PICK – Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama (3rd Selection)
It’s tough to drag this first selection through the mud due to the fact Richardson was widely considered to be a lock NFL talent and one of the safest picks in the entire draft. Call it the Cleveland curse, but the opposite turned out to be true. Richardson struggled from the get-go, looking no more explosive than an undrafted free agent. He never was able to show off the power, vision or burst he once had for the Crimson Tide and was a complete bust.
Making matters worse, the Browns actually traded up one spot with the Vikings to assure they could obtain him in one of the most Cleveland moves ever. To do this the front office gave up an extra fourth, sixth and seventh-round pick. With those picks the Vikings were able to draft Jarius Wright, Blair Walsh and Audie Cole.
The one silver lining was the team’s ability to later trade Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts for a first-round pick, a move so laughable it should’ve been vetoed by the league commissioner, as it was already widely known just how bad Richardson was. Chalk that one up to a non-sober Jim Irsay, something to add to his long list of gaffes that have made him known as one of the worst general managers of the last decade (but that story, kids, is for another day).
https://twitter.com/PirateLifeFF/status/884490065577160705
Should’ve Picked – Luke Kuechly, MLB, Boston College
Calling Kuechly a freak or stud doesn’t do him justice. He’s been the league’s best inside linebacker since entering the league. Despite some concussion problems over the past two seasons, when healthy, Kuechly is a rare three-down linebacker that makes an equal impact against the run and pass at an all-pro level.
Kuechly started his career with 310 tackles, seven interceptions and seven sacks in his first three seasons. Safe to say, the Browns would have loved to have had that production in their lineup.
Actual Pick – Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State (23rd Selection)
Weeden was drafted to be the savior for the Browns at the quarterback position. As a former baseball player Weeden was already close to 27 years old when entering the league, which should’ve been the only red flag needed, but the Browns took a shot on the highly-productive passer from the Big 12.
Weeded started just 20 games for the Browns, producing a mild 23-to-26 touchdown-to-interception ratio before being released after just two seasons.
https://twitter.com/JeffDLowe/status/929798553660215296
Should’ve Picked – David Decastro, OG, Stanford (24th Selection)
Decastro was picked just one selection later and has turned into one of the most consistent and impactful interior lineman in the league. Decastro, a two-time Pro Bowler, has helped paved the way for one of the league’s most productive offenses during his tenure by helping protect Ben Roethlisberger.
2013
Actual Pick – Barkevious Mingo, EDGE, LSU (6th Selection)
Mingo was a long-armed, athletic edge defender coming from a highly-touted program known for producing high-end talent in the NFL. Too bad for Mingo, the Cleveland Brown curse is for real.
Despite his top-10 selection, Mingo only went on to play three seasons for the Browns, averaging just five starts per season. Mingo showed a fraction of promise his rookie season when he tallied five sacks. However, Mingo never showed the development needed to play at a high level consistently in the league, leading to another major swing and miss for the front office.
Should’ve Picked – Deandre Hopkins, WR, Clemson (27th Selection)
A Pro Bowler in 2015, Hopkins has consistently been inside the top-10 most productive receivers in the game since he came into the league, despite never having a legitimate quarterback until Deshaun Watson came around (and then got hurt).
While Hopkins has already amassed 375 receptions, 5,290 yards and 31 touchdowns, the Cleveland Browns have failed to have any one of their primary targets come close to sniffing the attention Hopkins demands on every play. Although, with 26 selections before him, it’s safe to presume most of the league’s scouts didn’t have Hopkins pegged for this kind of super stardom either.
2014
Actual Pick – Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State (8th Overall)
Another one of those “laugh out loud” picks. Not only was Gilbert traded over a year ago, but the front office gave up extra picks once again to the Vikings to move up.
The long, speedy corner out of the Big 12 was attractive, I must say, looking the part and owning the tools of a possible Pro Bowler with the right coaching. However, Gilbert failed to live up to the hype despite being the team’s number two cornerback. He lasted just two seasons on the Browns and saw just three starts.
Should’ve Picked – Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh
It hurts to see a guy like Aaron Donald fall through the cracks, as he’s proven to be so dominant as a game-changing warrior in the trenches. While the addition of the best defensive tackle in the league would be ideal, it’s remarkable to see just how deep this first-round was.
Not only could have Donald been a franchise-changing selection, but other superstars like Odell Beckham, Zack Martin or C.J. Mosley could have made remarkable differences at their respective positions.
Actual Pick – Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M (22nd Selection)
Who has two first-round selections in 2014 that wound up being with the franchise just two full seasons? The Browns, that’s who. I’m not even mad, that’s impressive.
Manziel was drafted to be the savior of the organization as a signal caller with flair and charisma. Turned out, Manziel was far more of a distraction with a serious alcohol problem that bloomed once he got around the bright lights of the NFL.
Before being released and sent to rehab, Manziel started only eight games and ended his NFL career with a lackluster touchdown-to-interception ratio of 7-to-7. A disappointing ending to the Manziel hype.
Should’ve Picked – Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State (36th Selection)
I know how easy this is to say now. However, Carr has become the strong-armed pocket passer that the league has craved. Not only has Carr been a leader on the field but off the field as well. He’s put together some serious big-boy numbers already in his career and has been voted by his peers to the Pro Bowl.
The Browns organization would look a whole lot better if Carr was on the roster, but they passed up on him on two separate occasions. To be fair, Carr was the last to be picked of “The Big Four” quarterbacks and lasted into the second round, proving he was far from a sure first-round pick that unfairly lived in the shadow of his older brother and former failure in the league David Carr.
2015
Actual Pick – Danny Shelton, NT, Washington (12th Selection)
To be honest, Shelton has been rock solid after just two full seasons. He took a big step forward last year and started to come into his own as a pure nose tackle in the Browns’ system. Despite being in the process of moving from a 3-4 to Greg Williams’ 4-3 base defense, Shelton has still continued to show signs of improvement. While he’s no Aaron Donald, it looks like Shelton will be in the long term plans for the Browns as of now.
Should’ve Picked – Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
Again, I’m nitpicking here, but the fact remains the Browns had their chance to take Peters and chose to pass. One could guess that the Browns had such bad luck with a character-concerns prospect like Manziel that they took Peters off their board completely like a handful of other teams.
Had they taken a shot on the risky bad boy from Washington, they would have been rewarded with one of the purest, most physical press-cover cornerbacks in the league. Peters burst onto the scene his rookie year looking like Deion Sanders in his prime with his shut-down prowess and flashy, playmaking skill set. Peters stole eight interceptions his rookie year, taking two of them to the house. After just 40 games, Peterson has collected 17 interceptions.
Shutting down half the field with a confident, ball-hawking corner would have given the Browns defense a major advantage, along with some serious scheme flexibility.
Actual Pick – Cameron Erving, C, Florida State (19th Selection)
You can’t make this up. Another player drafted in the first round that played just two seasons for the Browns before being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for just a fifth-round pick.
Safe to say Irving was not a great investment. With this many first rounders lasting just two years, you have to wonder how much of the Browns’ lack of success has to do with the front office versus the coaches’ inability to develop talent.
Should’ve Picked – Landon Collins, S, Alabama (33rd Selection)
The Giants traded all the way to the top on Day 2, grabbing Collins, who was known for his in-the-box talent as a hard hitting safety from Alabama. Collins has done much more than that, however, showing off his play-making ability by plucking five interceptions and earning a Pro Bowl vote after just one season.
With four sacks and eight interceptions in his young career, Collins has already proven himself as one of the most complete safeties in the NFL. Now, imagine a combo of Collins and Peters, helping turn any secondary from zero to hero.
2016
Actual Pick – Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor (15th Selection via Trade Down)
Coleman was a prized possession coming out of Baylor as the first receiver taken before the likes of Michael Thomas, Josh Doctson, Will Fuller and Laquon Treadwell. Considering his surrounding talent, including five different quarterbacks (Cody Kessler, Kevin Hogan, Josh McCown, Charlie Whitehurst and Robert Griffin III) Coleman has looked decent in his time on the field.
The bigger question than talent with Coleman is health. He missed six games during his rookie campaign and has played just two games thus far in 2017. If this is any sign of what’s to come, things won’t be trending upward anytime soon for Coleman, as the injury bug is out to derail his career before it ever gets going.
Should’ve Picked – Jalen Ramsey, CB, Florida State (Stayed at Pick No. 2)
The Browns did recoup an extra first-round pick from the Philadelphia Eagles, with which they plucked college superstar Jabrill Peppers. Instead, however, the team could’ve stayed put and had their pick of the litter from some of the sweetest young talent the league is already salivating over.
We must start with the quarterback position, though, as the Browns for the second time on this list passed up on a quarterback that has already proven to be a franchise signal caller in Carson Wentz. After passing up on Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr earlier, this now makes three quarterbacks that could have been the savior to the organization.
Say the team scouts weren’t sold on Wentz, they still passed on elite blue-chip talent like Joey Bosa, Zeke Elliot and Ramsey. Take your pick as all three are solidified as the best at their position for their age group.
The decision to trade back and land Corey Coleman and Jabrill Peppers over any of the names above looks to be another front office disaster, even if they do go on to have solid careers.
https://twitter.com/SadCIippersFan/status/932464945697923072
2017 (To Be Determined)
Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M (1st Selection)
Has played in just five games this season. However, with four sacks and nine tackles in that span, Garrett has already shown flashes of his number one overall pick pedigree.
Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan (25th Selection)
Many people said Peppers’ college production wouldn’t translate to the NFL, and so far they’re right. Peppers has yet to make any splash plays as a return man, as well as being unable to register a sack or interception up to this point in the season.
The bigger underlying issue is the fact that Peppers has been used a free safety, limiting his on-the-ball safety talents. Once again, the question is raised, is it really the talent that hasn’t been there for these rookies, or has it been the coaches who have been unable to develop this raw talent all these years?
David Njoku, TE, Miami (29th Selection)
Being drafted at just 20 years old, Njoku’s fate is still long from being written, but as of now he looks the part of an impactful tight end in the NFL with great size and nimble-footed athleticism.
