Cleveland Browns: 5 best second-round picks of all-time
By Thomas Moore
Things were grand for the Cleveland Browns in the mid-1980s.
The team secured its franchise quarterback in 1985 by selecting Bernie Kosar in the supplemental draft, and in 1986 gave him a playmaker to work with by selecting Webster Slaughter out of San Diego State in the second round. (Remember that Browns fans: quarterback first, then you get the playmakers.)
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Slaughter was an immediate starter for a Browns team that would go on to make three appearances in the AFC Championship Game, averaging more than 50 receptions and more than 800 receiving yards during his time with the Browns. His 1,236 receiving yards in 1989 are still the third-most in team history as that season he posted a two-game total of 370 yards against the Chicago Bears and Houston Oilers that would stand as a team record for 14 years.
He also had a knack for coming up big when it mattered the most, catching 23 passes for 381 yards (16.6 yards per catch) and five touchdowns in seven career playoff games with the Browns. His most notable post-season catch came against the New York Jets in the 1986 playoffs, pulling in a 37-yard pass from Kosar in the game’s final moments to set up a game-tying field goal by Mark Mosley.
Slaughter was also involved in one of the most infamous playoff games in franchise history as he failed to block Denver’s Jeremiah Castille near the end of the 1987 AFC Championship Game while Earnest Byner was heading for a game-tying touchdown. Browns fans know what happened next.
Even though Slaughter would play just six seasons with the Browns, he remains in the franchise’s Top 10 in career receptions (305), career yards (4,834) and career touchdown receptions (27).