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

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – DECEMBER 19 Running back Larry Brown #43 of the Washington Redskins is stopped by defensive end Jack Gregory #81 and linebacker John Garlington #50 of the Cleveland Browns during an NFL game at RFK Stadium on December 19, 1971 in Washington, D.C. The Browns defeated the Redskins 20-13. (Photo by Nate Fine/Getty Images) /

Delta State University, 1966. 17. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. player. 53. DE. JackGregory

Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 17. Jack Gregory

Most of us have probably never even heard of Delta State University, which is a college in Cleveland, Mississippi. A Division II school in the Gulf South Conference, Delta State has not produced a ton of NFL talent, but they did give the Cleveland Browns one of their biggest draft steals of all time.

Back in 1966, Cleveland took defensive lineman Jack Gregory out of DSU (although he had also played at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga as well) with the 139th pick in the ninth round of the draft. Gregory had also turned heads in the competitive AFL where the Buffalo Bulls had taken him as well, but Gregory wanted to play for the Browns — who were the superior franchise at the time.

He made his presence felt quickly for the Browns, serving as a rotational defensive end early in his career. He never missed a game in his time with Cleveland and started three games as a rookie and six in his second season. By year three, he was a full-time starter who routinely got after the quarterback.

Unfortunately, during his era, sacks were not an official statistic and while we will never be able to make sense of that, the good news is, some people did keep track of this all-important stat. According to Drake Jesse of Browns Nation, the team had unofficial numbers for Gregory of 38 sacks in his six seasons.

He moved on and joined the New York Giants and racked up another 65 sacks, giving him 103 for his career. His best days were with New York but he still gave the Browns six solid seasons and was a huge steal in the ninth-round.

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