Browns fans not alone rueing bad drafts
- col-dave-mast
- April 24, 2024
- 566
Rejoice Browns fans. You’re not alone in your struggles and mourning about what might have been.
Looking back to the 1957 NFL draft, five teams could have opted to select Jim Brown before the Cleveland Browns tabbed him as the sixth overall pick.
Widely recognized as the greatest running back to ever play the game, the Syracuse standout put together an eye-popping career.
So who were the five souls selected prior to him going to the Browns?
That list isn’t too shabby.
Hall of Famer Paul Hornung went one to Green Bay, which also selected tight end Ron Kramer out of Michigan with the fourth pick.
Running back John Arnett out of USC went second overall to the Rams, which was the biggest miss of the draft, while two quality quarterbacks — John Brodie of Stanford and Len Dawson — went to San Francisco and Kansas City, respectively, in the third and fifth slots, Dawson going on to a Hall of Fame career.
All would have in hindsight probably swapped picks and taken Brown.
It just goes to show that as Browns fans we tend to think about the ones that got away a lot, but it happens to everyone.
In fact, nobody saw fit to select tight end Don Maynard out of Texas El-Paso until the ninth round that year. All he did was put together a HOF career. However, the Browns did just fine that year. In addition to Brown, they took Hall of Fame linemen Henry Jordan and Gene Hickerson in that draft.
Here’s some other fun and unique Browns draft info:
In 1959 they took two Ohio State University players, Dick Schafrath and Dick LeBeau.
In 1972 they took a little-known quarterback out of San Diego State in the 13th round, Brian Sipe, who became one of the most beloved players in Browns history.
In 1976 they selected running back Mike Pruitt with the sixth pick overall, then opted for outstanding wide receiver Dave Logan out of Colorado with the 65th overall pick in round three.
That’s some nice production.
In 1977 the Browns pulled off one of the most bizarre selections ever, nabbing OSU punter Tom Skladany with their second rounder, an almost unheard of choice that early. Skladany then held out and never played for the Browns.
The 1978 draft was one for the ages for Browns fans. With their first selection in round one, they took USC linebacker Clay Matthews with the 12th pick overall. Then with the 23rd pick in round one, they opted for a tight end out of Alabama by the name of Ozzie Newsome.
That, my friends, is an all-timer.
In 2014 the Browns got it so wrong, then got it so right. With their two first-round picks, they chose defensive back Justin Gilbert with the eighth pick and then took quarterback Money Man Johnny Manziel with pick 22.
Yikes. But then they turned around and took stellar guard Joe Bitonio in the second round and solid linebacker Christian Kirksey in the third.
In 2012 they took monster bust Trent Richardson, a running back out of Alabama, with the third overall pick. Somehow, they coerced Indianapolis to give up a first-rounder for him in 2013, and sadly, they didn’t take advantage because it turned into, yes, Gilbert, who really didn’t want to even play football in the NFL.
In 1985 they grabbed a steal in the seventh round, taking wide-out Reggie Langhorn, who went on to become a fan favorite.
Mike Junkin, the “mad dog in a meat market” linebacker, turned into a total bust as a fifth-overall pick in 1988, but one year later, the Browns cashed in on one of my favorite Browns defensive backs, Thane Gash, whom they scooped up in the seventh round.
The Browns seemed to squander every possible pick when they returned to football in 1999, but fourth-rounder Wali Rainer was always one of my faves.
1992 saw them completely waste yet another top-end first-rounder, this one on stone-footed “Touchdown” Tommy Vardell out of Stanford.
While Notre Dame All-American quarterback Brady Quinn got all the publicity back in the 2007 draft, it would be remembered much more for the Browns’ other first-round pick, offensive tackle and Hall of Famer Joe Thomas.
Does anyone remember Beau Bell? He was the Browns first pick in the 2008 draft, but they didn’t own a pick until the fourth round.
Overall, the Browns have not had a memorable draft history. Like our Holmes/Wayne editor Mike Plant said, they’ve drafted and given away more talent than they have selected and kept (See Paul Warfield).
But they are our Cleveland Brown, through good times or bad, whether lean or flush, and as this year’s draft rolls around, despite not having a first-rounder, fans will get that itch to get excited all over again, and more than likely, we’ll lament the ones that got away.