No. 1: Ahtyba Rubin, DT
Coming in at number one in the best sixth-round draft picks the Cleveland Browns have made since 1999 is…Ahtyba Rubin. The defensive tackle out of Iowa State was taken by the Browns in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Rubin played in 99 games for the Browns and started in 75 of those. Big Rube anchored the defensive line at nose tackle, defensive tackle, and even played defensive end for a short stint. He registered 338 total tackles, with 212 of those being of the solo variety while donning the brown and orange.
Rubin’s best season in Cleveland came in 2011. The big man recorded five sacks with an additional 12 quarterback hits. He also registered 56 solo tackles, with four of those being behind the line scrimmage. While not exactly a stat-sheet stuffer, Rubin quietly wreaked havoc at the line of scrimmage often drawing double teams and creating opportunities for his fellow teammates.
In addition to whatever statistical value you can attribute to Rubin or even how many games he accrued as a Brown, Big Rube was a fan favorite during his seven seasons in Cleveland. He was a blue-collar player who spoke softly but swung a mean stick. Rubin was exactly the type of player that the Browns fan base loves to put their arms around and that lands him at number one on this list.