5 Best Cleveland Browns seventh-round picks since 1999

1. Armonty Bryant, DE, 2013

And last, but surely not least, we have Armonty Bryant a former defensive end who was taken 217th overall in 2013. Bryant came into the NFL by way of East Central, A Division II program located in Ada, Oklahoma.

At 6-foot-4 and 264-pounds, he was the perfect build for an NFL defensive end and ended up spending the first three seasons of his career with the Browns. During that time, he had four starts in 31 games for the Browns and was developing into a good player until he had some trouble off the field.

Bryant had 23 tackles and three sacks in his first two seasons before breaking out in 2015/ That year, he had a career-high in tackles with 40 as well as sacks — 5.5. He also forced two fumbles while recovering one.

Unfortunately, he never got the chance to continue that hot streak with the Browns. Bryant was suspended to start the 2016 season as he was found in violation of the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Cleveland would end up releasing him after the suspension was served.

The Detroit Lions gave him a second chance and again, he played well. Bryant appeared in just five games and had three sacks. But again, he found himself suspended for violating the substance abuse policy in 2017. Bryant later retired in 2018 after being released by the Oakland Raiders due to a non-football illness.

Bryant was easily the best seventh-round pick made by the Browns since their return in 1999 and had he been able to stay on the field, it could have looked like an even better selection.