Dawgs By Nature
NFL draft history is full of Browns mistakes including trading down leading to Phil Taylor’s selection
Ask a fan of the Cleveland Browns what their favorite NFL draft decision is, most will point to Joe Thomas since The Return, while others might think back to Bernie Kosar in the supplemental draft. Ask those fans about the worst move the Browns draft history holds and the options are just too many to list.
For many, trading down often leaves a bad taste, which means this year’s move risks joining the list of negative memories for Cleveland fans.
The Julio Jones trade during the 2011 NFL draft is near the top of bad draft decisions in Browns history. A uniquely talented receiver out of Alabama, Jones is a likely Hall of Famer after a career that included over 13,000 receiving yards and 66 touchdowns.
In exchange for letting the Atlanta Falcons select Jones, Cleveland received (there were some other little moves involved as well):
Those who know the Browns history know the limited production out of that group. Taylor only played four seasons due to injuries, Little struggled catching the football in his four seasons in the NFL, Marecic made it just two seasons, Weeden played in parts of five seasons while starting just 25 games, and Hughes played the longest (6 years) as a career backup.
Pro Football Focus put together a 2011 redraft, which had Jones being selected before Cleveland could get a chance to trade him away (4th to the Cincinnati Bengals). With star defenders like DE Cameron Jordan and DT Cameron Heyward still on the board, PFF had the Browns giving Thomas a bookend offensive tackle, Tyron Smith:
Smith is one of the most talented offensive linemen in NFL history. He played 14 seasons and garnered two first-team All-Pro selections, three second-team All-Pro selections and eight Pro Bowl nods.
He earned 86.0-plus PFF overall grades in each season from 2013 to 2016.
Pairing the athletic marvel that was Smith with the tactician that was Thomas would have given Cleveland the best offensive tackles in the NFL for a decade. In 2012, the Browns added Mitchell Schwartz to solidify that spot, but bungled contract negotiations, leading to his free agent departure.
If the Browns had selected Smith over Jones back in 2011, it would have been understandable. Their trade down and resulting picks were not understandable when they happened and look far worse 14 years later.
What do you think is the worst NFL draft move made by the Browns? If you remember back to 2011, how do you think you would have felt about selecting Smith (even with Jones still on the board)?
Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below
