Sep 21, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns helmet on the field before a game against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports
The NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night at 8 with the Cleveland Browns holding an NFL-high 10 picks — including two in the first round.
This is the second year in a row, and the third in the past four, that the Browns will have two selections in the first round of the draft.
Now, depending on your perspective, this is either a great opportunity for general manager Ray Farmer to add a pair of high-level players to the roster, or just another opportunity for the Browns to pick players that are high on potential and low on production.
Believe it or not, the Browns have actually made successful selections in the opening round of the draft in previous years. Truly, they have!
To help you get fired up for the upcoming draft, here are the 10 best picks the Browns have made in the first round since the franchise entered the NFL in 1950.
Next: Best First-Round Picks - #10
10. Eric Metcalf (1989, Pick No. 13)
Eric Metcalf gained 9,108 all-purpose yards and scored 33 touchdowns in six years with the Browns after being drafted out of the University of Texas.
As dynamic as he was – especially in what is referred to today as open space – head coaches Bud Carson and Bill Belichick were never able to fully figure out how to utilize Metcalf’s ability. The 5-foot-10, 168-pound Metcalf was used so much between the tackles that “Metcalf up the Middle” earned a place in the vocabulary of Browns fans.
Metcalf had a flair for the dramatic, returning a kickoff 90-yards for a touchdown against Buffalo in a 1990 playoff game and, most memorably, returning a pair of punts for touchdowns in a 1993 home win over Pittsburgh.
As with everything under Belichick’s time in Cleveland, Metcalf’s tenure with the Browns ended badly. Belichick traded Metcalf, who had made the Pro Bowl in 1993 and 1994, along with the Browns first-round pick to Atlanta before the 1995 NFL Draft in exchange for Atlanta’s pick, No. 10 overall.
Belichick eventually turned that pick, through a trade with San Francisco, into the immortal Craig Powell.
Metcalf spent two years in Atlanta before closing out his 13-year NFL career with single-season stops in Arizona, Carolina, Green Bay, San Diego and Washington.
Next: Best First-Round Picks - #9
Nov 6, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden (23) against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. The Browns won 24-3. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
9. Joe Haden (2010, Pick No. 7)
Joe Haden has quickly turned into one of the game’s best cornerbacks since being drafted out of the University of Florida.
A Pro Bowl selection in 2013 and 2014, Haden is the best draft pick by former general manager Tom Heckert and the second-best draft pick the Browns have made since returning in 1999.
A vocal leader on the defense, Haden has also been active in the community through his Haden Nation ticket program, which provided tickets, apparel and food for the Children’s Hunger Alliance and Fatima Family Center; as well as the Joe Haden Elite Football Experience sports camp benefitting boys grades 3-8; in addition to other projects.
Next: Best First-Round Picks - #8
8. Eric Turner (1991, Pick No. 2)
One of the things that Bill Belichick got right as coach of the Browns was drafting safety Eric Turner out of UCLA with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft.
Turner was one of the leaders of a Browns defense that led the NFL in scoring defense in 1994. That same year Turner led the league in interceptions, resulting in his selection as a First Team All-Pro and earning a Pro Bowl spot.
Turner also holds the distinction of intercepting a pass in Cleveland’s last playoff win, over New England following the 1994 season.
Turner played a year in Baltimore before moving on to Oakland. He tragically passed away from abdominal cancer in 2000 at the age of 31.
Next: Best First-Round Picks - #7
7. Hanford Dixon (1981, Pick No. 22)
One-half of one of the best cornerback tandems in NFL history along with Frank Minnifield, Hanford Dixon is also co-creator of the Dawgs monitor that still resonates with the team and fans 26 years after Dixon played his last down for the Browns.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time First Team All-Pro, Dixon was a bump-and-run corner back when corners were actually allowed to bump wide receivers.
Dixon’s finest day arguably was the 1985 playoff game against Miami, when he combined with Minnifield to hold Miami wide receivers Mark Clayton and Mark Duper to one reception for 15 yards.
Dixon retired in 1989 following five consecutive playoff seasons and still remains at No. 10 on the franchise’s all-time interception list.
Next: Best First-Round Picks - #6
Aug 9, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas (73) against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
6. Joe Thomas (2007, Pick No. 3)
Joe Thomas has yet to miss a snap since being the third player selected in the 2007 NFL Draft.
A Pro Bowl selection every year he has been in the league, and a First Team All-Pro member five times since 2009, Thomas has been the lone bright spot on a franchise that has posted just one winning season since he was drafted.
If the rest of his career plays out as expected, Thomas will one day become the 17th member of the franchise enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Next: Best First-Round Picks - #5
5. Clay Matthews (1978, Pick No. 12)
Clay Matthews was one of two first-round selections made by the Browns in the 1978 NFL Draft, along with Hall-of-Famer Ozzie Newsome, making that arguably the best first round in franchise history.
Matthews played 16 seasons in Cleveland and still holds the franchise record for career sacks with 62.
Matthews played in four Pro Bowls and made 278 starts in a career that started with Brian Sipe and the Kardiac Kids, continued through the glory years of the Bernie Kosar playoff years, and closed out during the Bill Belichick era.
We’re even willing to overlook that lateral in Houston.
Next: Best First-Round Picks - #4
4. Gary Collins (1962, Pick No. 4)
Gary Collins paired with Paul Warfield during the 1960s to form one of the top receiving duos in franchise history.
When Collins retired after the 1971 season, his 70 regular-season touchdown receptions were the sixth-most in NFL history. A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-1960s team, Collins spent his entire 10-year career with the Browns.
While he never had a 1,000-yard receiving season, he had 10 or more touchdown receptions four times during his career. His 13 touchdown receptions in 1963 stood as the franchise’s single-season record until 2007.
His most notable game in the Orange and Brown came in the 1964 NFL Championship Game, when his three touchdown receptions helped the Browns defeat Baltimore for the city’s last championship.
Next: Best First-Round Picks - #3
3. Ozzie Newsome (1978, Pick No. 23)
Drafted out of Alabama in the first round of the 1978 NFL Draft, Ozzie Newsome transitioned from a wide receiver in college to a player that helped transform the tight end position in the NFL.
Newsome holds the franchise record for most catches in a single season with 89, which he did in both 1983 and 1984; is one of just 10 Browns’ receivers to have a 1,000 yard season, and the only player to accomplish it twice; is first in all-time receptions with 662, almost double the total of Dante Lavelli in second place; is tops on career receiving yards; and is fifth in career touchdown receptions.
When Newsome retired after the 1990 season, he was fourth on the NFL’s all-time list for receptions and had caught more passes than any tight end.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
Next: Best First-Round Picks - #2
2. Paul Warfield (1964, Pick No. 11)
Paul Warfield started his Hall-of-Fame career with the Cleveland Browns just in time to be a member of the team’s last championship squad.
More from Dawg Pound Daily
- 3 Cleveland Browns players who don’t deserve another season in 2023
- How the Browns could maximize Nick Chubb in 2023
- Can Deshaun Watson get to Patrick Mahomes level for Cleveland Browns?
- 3 Cleveland Browns who should see an expanded role in 2023 and 1 who should not
- Is Marcus Davenport on the Browns radar in 2023?
Warfield would play eight seasons in Cleveland – spread over two stints – and was a deep threat who averaged more than 20 yards per catch four times while with the Browns, and seven times overall in his career.
His 12 touchdown receptions in 1968 are still fourth-best in franchise history for a single season, his 1,067 receiving yards that same season are eighth-best, he is sixth all-time in career receiving yards and third in career touchdown receptions.
Former Browns owner Art Modell, showing he knew as much about football players as he did about the business side of the game, traded Warfield to the Miami Dolphins following the 1969 season so the Browns could draft quarterback Mike Phipps. Warfield would go on to win two Super Bowls with the Dolphins before returning to the Browns in 1976.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983.
Next: Best First-Round Picks - #1
1. Jim Brown (1957, Pick No. 6)
The Greatest Running Back of All Time. And there is no sense in trying to argue for any other player.
Who do you think are the 10 Best No. 1 draft picks in Browns’ history? Did we miss anyone?