All-time greats: 5 best Cleveland Browns drafted in first round
By Clay Goodwin
4. Doug Atkins, Defensive End
Doug Atkins was drafted 11th overall in the 1953 NFL draft. He played defensive end for the Cleveland Browns from 1953 t0 1954 before being traded to the Chicago Bears. There is no good reason why Atkins should have been traded after helping the Browns win the 1954 NFL championship.
Atkins was a monster at 6-foot-8 and 257 pounds which was an enormous player back then ‚— and still would be now. He was a force on the defensive line. There were no real stats kept back then so it is hard to tell what his numbers were, but it is likely they were incredible.
Atkins went on to be an eight-time Pro Bowler with the Bears as well as named to the first-team All-Pro team once. He was also a two-time NFL champion.
Atkins was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1982. He is one of four Browns drafted in the first round to be a Hall of Famer, so he has to make this list despite only being a Brown for two seasons. He is truly one of the best players the Browns have ever drafted.
But in typical Browns fashion, he was traded for a third and a sixth-round pick. Still, Atkins was a remarkable player and cracks the list here at number four.