Cleveland Browns: 20 best draft day steals of all-time

Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 4. Gene Hickerson

The Browns are well-represented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which is in nearby Canton, Ohio. One of the longest-tenured pro football teams, the Browns have had their share of dominant players at every position. One such player is Gene Hickerson, who played guard for them from 1958 through 1973.

Hickerson played 15 seasons and was an iron-man for the most part. He did miss all the 1961 campaign and the first two games of 1962 due to a broken leg, but outside of that injury, he never missed a game. In all, he started 183 contests while playing in 202 for the Browns.

Originally drafted in the seventh round out of Ole Miss, Hickerson was used at guard and was an excellent lead blocker thanks to his agility and above-average speed for the position. He was also a high IQ player whose head coach Paul Brown used to deliver the plays to the huddle.

During his career, Hickerson blocked for some of the best running backs in the game such as Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly. An NFL champion in 1964, Hickerson finished his career with six Pro Bowl nods, five First-Team All-Pro selections, and two Second-Team All-Pro designations. He was an easy selection for the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team as well considering his domination during those 10 seasons.

It took far too long for Hickerson to be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he finally made the cut in August of 2007. Sadly, he passed just one year after that and was honored by the 2008 Browns who wore a “GH” emblem for the remainder of that year.”