Dawgs By Nature
Joel Bitonio and Rob Burnett are on the list. But are there other Cleveland players who should have made the cut?
The Cleveland Browns, like every other NFL team, have had their share of misses when it comes to the NFL Draft.
Guard Pete Adams instead of guard Joe DeLamielleure in 1973. Offensive tackle Billy Corbett instead of tight end Dave Casper or linebacker Jack Lambert in 1974. Linebackers Mike Junkin in 1987 and Clifford Charlton in 1988. Defensive tackle Gerrard Warren instead of running back LaDainian Tomlinson or defensive end Richard Seymour in 2001. Anyone but quarterback Johnny Manziel in 2014.
Related: Browns All Quarter Century, plus 1 (since The Return), team
It has not all been doom and gloom, however, with notable selections including Hall of Fame running back Leroy Kelly in the eighth round in 1964, running back Nick Chubb in the third round of 2018, the first-round double dip of Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome and linebacker Clay Matthews in 1978, and quarterback Brian Sipe in the 13th round in 1972.
But who are the best all-time draft picks ever at every spot in the draft, and which Cleveland players are included?
That is a question that ESPN’s Ben Solak tries to answer by looking at every draft since 1967, when the common draft era began, to determine the best players selected from No. 1 through No. 262 overall.
The Browns had two players represented, starting with guard Joel Bitonio, the No. 35 overall pick in 2014:
There are a few good active players here, including Andy Dalton and Zach Ertz. But Bitonio looks like a Browns lifer, has made five All-Pro lists and might be considered the best guard of the past decade of football if not for Zack Martin being, you know ... the best guard of the past decade of football.
The second Cleveland player is defensive end Rob Burnett, the 129th overall selection in the 1990 draft. Burnett spent the first six seasons of his 14-year NFL career with the Browns. He played in 93 games, had 333 tackles and 40.5 sacks, which is ninth-best on the franchise’s all-time list, and 10 sacks in 1994 as he made the Pro Bowl.
Burnett went on to play six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and two with the Miami Dolphins, retiring after the 2023 season with 73 career sacks.
But what about some of the other notable Cleveland players who did not make the list?
