Cleveland Browns: 15 greatest offensive linemen of all-time
By Randy Gurzi
(1979-89). Cody Risien. 11. player. 53. . Tackle
Greatest offensive lineman in Cleveland Browns history: #11. Cody Risien
It’s hard to find any state that takes youth football as serious as Texas does. Countless NFL players come from the Lone Star State, which is where former Cleveland offensive lineman Cody Risien hails from. A product of Cy-Fair High School in Houston, Risien ended up playing collegiately for the Texas A&M Aggies.
He wasn’t a star player by any means for A&M, which led to him waiting until the seventh-round to find his NFL home. That’s when the Browns came in and made him the 183rd overall selection in the 1979 NFL Draft. In the end, they proved that to be quite the steal, as Risien then spent the next 10 seasons on the Cleveland offensive line.
More. Top 15 All-Time first-round draft picks. light
As a rookie, Risien started 10 games while appearing in all 16. He was a guard during that seasons, starting on the left side. In 1980, he switched positions and moved outside to right tackle. That ended up being a permanent move and Risien became a fixture on that side.
In his impressive career, he started 140 of 146 games and made the Pro Bowl in back-to-back seasons in 1986 and 1987. He was able to help pave the way for four different 1,000-yard rushers and helped keep quarterback Brian Sipe standing upright during his MVP season in 1980 as a member of the Kardiac Kids.
After his playing days were over, the hard-working Risien continued his blue-collar ways. He moved back to Texas and began working with a large construction company based in Austin.