Looking back over the history of the Cleveland Browns, there have been some great finds in the NFL Draft. Here are their 20 biggest steals of all-time
Teams are built through the NFL Draft, there’s no doubt about that. And as Cleveland Browns fans are well aware, all the love — and scrutiny — gets heaped upon the players taken early in the process. When a player is chosen early, especially first overall which Cleveland is familiar with, there’s a lot of expectation for that kid to perform well.
However, building a good team goes well beyond the first day of the draft. The teams that are able to find sustained success are the ones who find steals throughout the entire selection process. When a team finds a legitimate starter beyond opening night, they’re able to really start building a deep and competitive roster.
For the Browns, they have had their fair share of steals throughout their storied existence — even if they had a rough patch after returning to the NFL in 1999 following a few-year hiatus. Here, we will look at the 20 biggest steals of all-time for Cleveland.
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 20. Jordan Cameron
The 2011 NFL Draft didn’t feature a lot of tight ends. After being shut out of the first round, the position finally saw a couple of names come off the board in the second round. The most notable was Kyle Rudolph, the Notre Dame star who was taken at No. 43 overall by the Minnesota Vikings. He’s still their starter today and has been one of the top tight ends in the NFL for years.
However, there weren’t many other big hits in that class. At No. 47, the St. Louis Rams took Lance Kendricks out of Wisconsin. He was the only other tight end taken in the second round. Then in the third, Rob Housler was the lone selection as he went No. 69 to the Arizona Cardinals. Housler didn’t last long in the league and Kendricks, while underrated, has been a reserve for most of his career.
With all that being said, it can be argued that the Browns made out better than both teams who made day-two picks, as they ended up with Jordan Cameron out of USC with the 102nd overall pick in the fourth round.
The USC product started out slow, but ended up developing into a star. By his third season, he was one of the best tight ends in the game. That year, he wound up with 917 yards and seven touchdowns on 80 receptions. At just 25 years old, he was looking like a breakout star — and he was even named to the Pro Bowl in 2013.
He played his way into a $15 million deal over two seasons with the Miami Dolphins. Unfortunately for him, concussions became a real problem and Cameron had to call it a career after playing just 19 games with Miami.
While his moment of fame didn’t last too long, he was still an excellent pick for the Browns.
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 19. Christian Kirksey
Most often when a team spends a third-round pick on a player, they’re hoping he will become a starter for them, or at the very least a solid contributor. In 2014, the Browns had that in mind when they used the No. 71 overall pick in the draft on Iowa linebacker Christian Kirksey.
A three-year starter for the Hawkeyes, Kirksey racked up 309 tackles from 2011 through 2013. He added 5.5 sacks and four interceptions while returning two for touchdowns.
Once a member of the Browns, Kirksey didn’t disappoint, as he continued to prove he had a nose for the football. He played all 16 games as a rookie, while starting eight of them. In that season, he had 81 tackles and two sacks for Cleveland, but then he was on the field less in his second season. That year, Kirksey had just 53 tackles while starting only five games.
Then in 2016, he broke out and became the player we are all used to seeing now. Kirksey had a career year in his third campaign, racking up 143 tackles — 93 of which were solo — and 2.5 sacks. This was also the first time he was a legitimate full-time starter. He was just as good the following year, as his 138 tackles were one of the few bright spots in a 0-16 season.
With hopes high for him in 2018, Kirksey struggled with health. Hamstring issues limited him to just seven games — it was also the first time Kirksey ever missed time in his NFL career.
Before getting hurt, the starting weakside linebacker had already matched his career-high with five pass defenses and recorded his first two career picks. Much is expected out of him in 2019. As long as he remains healthy, he should have no problem exceeding expectations.
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 18. Joe Schobert
There’s something about Wisconsin players that makes them appealing when they enter the NFL. Maybe there’s some bias there due to how well Cleveland selecting Joe Thomas in 2007 worked out, but kids who were groomed in the Badgers’ system just seem like they’re going to give it all they have — and then some.
That’s probably the best way to describe Joe Schobert, who is just an all-around solid middle linebacker for the Browns. Schobert joined the Dawg Pound in 2016 as the No. 99 overall selection in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.
His selection came following a senior campaign that saw him rack up 79 tackles with 19.5 going for a loss. Schobert also added 9.5 sacks, showing how effective he can be when attacking the quarterback.
As a rookie, Schobert was rather quiet. He started in four games but was relegated to reserve duty and finished with just 16 tackles. However, his second season he was involved much more with the base defense.
That season, Schobert tied with Blake Martinez of the Green Bay Packers and Preston Brown of the Buffalo Bills for the NFL lead in tackles with 144. The sophomore linebacker was named to the Pro Bowl for his work that season.
In 2018, he continued to play well and again topped triple digits in tackles, despite missing three games. Even with the missed time, he was credited with 103 tackles.
Schobert even set the team up for a potential Week 1 upset when he recovered a fumble and ran it back 28 yards to set the Browns up for a shot at a game-winning kick in overtime. The attempt was blocked, but Schobert did his part to help his team and should continue to do so for years to come.”
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.
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 16. Ahtyba Rubin
A former junior college transfer, Ahtyba Rubin has always had to fight for everything in his career. After going the JUCO route, Rubin went to Iowa State — which he picked over TCU — and proved to be a very good nose tackle for the Cyclones.
Ahead of the 2008 NFL Draft, there were many that thought he should be taken either in the third or fourth round. That ended up not being the case, as Rubin lasted until pick No. 190 in the sixth round.
He then joined the Browns and started his career as a backup. Rubin got in on 11 games that season and finished with just 11 tackles. He continued to push through and found himself involved much more as a sophomore. In that second season with the Browns, Rubin had 38 tackles, while playing every game and starting in five of them.
The 315-pound space-eater was a full-time starter by year three and remained in that role for the next five seasons with the Browns. His best stretch of football came in 2010 and 2011 when he had 82 tackles in each of those campaigns, and added five sacks in 2011.
His numbers did start to decline after those two years, but the truth is he was overly productive for a nose tackle in that stretch and the remainder of his time in Cleveland was still very productive.
In seven seasons, the former late-round pick racked up 338 tackles, 12 sacks, three forced fumbles, and one interception. He left the team after the 2014 season and signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
Rubin remained a starter with them for the next two years before being released. He spent 2017 with the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons but never started a game at either place. Rubin did still try to play in 2018 and signed with the Oakland Raiders but spent the season on IR with a torn biceps muscle.
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 15. Anthony Henry
Had Anthony Henry stayed with the Browns longer than four seasons, he easily could have been much higher on this list, but he was still quite a steal for Cleveland considering he was the 97th player taken in the 2001 NFL Draft.
While he didn’t last with the Browns due to the contract demand he had in the open market, Henry ended up having a better career than some players drafted before him at the same position.
It could be argued he was better than Willie Middlebrooks, who was off the board at No. 24 thanks to the Denver Broncos, Gary Baxter, who went to the Baltimore Ravens at No. 62, and Eric Kelly, who was the 69th overall pick courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings.
Henry started just two games as a rookie for the Browns, but made the most out of his snaps, as he had a league-leading 10 interceptions to go along with his 17 pass defenses and 54 tackles. He then moved into the starting lineup in his second season where he continued to shine.
While Henry was a good all-around cornerback, he was exceptional at taking the ball away. In his four seasons with the Browns, he had 247 tackles, 17 interceptions and three forced fumbles. His play was good enough to merit a five-year, $25 million deal from the Dallas Cowboys.
The USF product continued to be a ball hawk for Dallas, recording 12 more picks in his four seasons there — with six picks in 2007 being his high with Dallas. Henry played one more season with the Detroit Lions following his stint with Dallas and hung up his cleats after that.
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 14. Mitchell Schwartz
There were some good picks in the 2012 NFL Draft, as well as some really bad ones. The Browns were part of each side of that equation with their first two picks as they whiffed in the first round, but did a great job in the second.
Following rumors of Mike Holmgren trying to trade all his picks to get Andrew Luck, the Browns ended up trading with the Minnesota Vikings, as they moved from No. 4 to No. 3 where they picked Trent Richardson. They did end up flipping him for another first-round pick later, which saves that selection from being torn to shreds.
The Browns also had a second pick in the first round, which was the No. 22 selection, and ended up being Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden. The former baseball player was 28 years old as a rookie and didn’t last long with the team.
They did much better with the No. 37 pick, as they landed offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz there. The 6-foot-5, 320-pound Schwartz immediately found his role on the team, as he was the starting right tackle from the moment he arrived. He went on to start all 16 games that season, as well as the next three years he was with Cleveland.
Schwartz proved to be a better selection than many of the failed picks — which included wideout A.J. Jenkins, who went 30th to the San Francisco 49ers, Brian Quick who was taken 33rd by the then-St. Louis Rams, and, of course, the two day-one picks the Browns made.
There could also be an argument made that Schwartz was better than the two tackles taken ahead of him in Matt Kalil, who went No. 4 to the Vikings, and Riley Reiff, who went No. 23 to the Detroit Lions.
Oddly enough, none of those players are still with their team. Even Schwartz left Cleveland. The former front office has been criticized for letting him leave, as he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs — who were run by John Dorsey at the time — for $33 million over five seasons. Schwartz has continued to play every game for Kansas City and has yet to miss a start. The pick was great, but letting him leave was not.”
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 13. Michael Dean Perry
This is one where it was hard to rank him. Michael Dean Perry ended up being much better than where he was drafted but he was still taken 50th overall in the 1988 NFL Draft. Having said that, he still lands on this list after having his sensational career.
Perry is the brother of the more famous William Perry — who only rose to more prominence than his brother because of his awesome nickname, ‘Refrigerator’, and the fact that he got to play some fullback and bowl people over.
As for MDP, all he did was set a school record for sacks and win the ACC Player of the Year in 1987 before joining the Browns. Then once in Cleveland, he had six sacks as a rotational rookie and another seven in 1989 when he made his first of six Pro Bowls.
His best season came in 1990 when the big man had 107 tackles, 11.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one recovery. He was a menace to opposing quarterbacks who had less than six sacks in just one campaign and finished his career in Cleveland with 480 tackles and 51.5 sacks during seven seasons.
Arguably his biggest accomplishment was getting a burger at McDonald’s named after him. Available in the Cleveland area, the “MDP Burger” was massive and towered over everything else on the menu, much like the man himself.
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 12. Joel Bitonio
As mentioned in the intro, a steal in the draft isn’t always just a player who was drafted late. It could also be someone who gave their team significant value or was allowed to fall, even though other players with lesser talent at the same position were taken ahead of them.
That’s exactly what happened here as the Browns used the No. 35 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft on Joel Bitonio, who has developed into one of the top left guards in the game.
After playing tackle at Nevada, Bitonio was expected to kick inside to guard, which meant he was a bit of a projection. That’s surely one of the reasons that Bitonio lasted as long as he did, and why he was the third guard taken in the draft that season.
We won’t knock the team who went guard first though, as the Dallas Cowboys took Zack Martin out of Notre Dame. He’s turned into an All-Pro as their right guard and is one of the highest-paid (and best) linemen in the game. However, it was the next guard that was ultimately the reach.
At No. 33 overall, the Houston Texans took Xavier Su’a-Filo, who never became a legitimate starter for them. Su’a-Filo only lasted four seasons with Houston and spent 2018 playing for the Cowboys.
Bitonio was also left on the board while many busts were selected that season. This included players such as Greg Robinson, Marcus Smith, and both of the Browns’ picks in the first round — Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel.
Entering 2021, he continues to serve as a leader of the line and he simply always shows up to play. He hasn’t missed a game since the 2016 season and has made three-straight Pro Bowls from 2018 through 2020.
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 11. Ray Renfro
In 1952, the Cleveland Browns were a stacked roster which allowed head coach Paul Brown to take a flier on Ray Renfro in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. The North Texas product was a superstar athlete but there was no real defined role for him on the field.
This led to some experimentation from Brown who lined him up as a running back and a punt returner. The results weren’t too impressive and his rookie seasons felt like a lost year. Then in 1953, Paul Brown found a home for the man who would earn the nickname “Rabbit.”
Renfro lined up as a wideout that season and had 39 receptions for 722 yards and four touchdowns. He added another 352 yards and four scores on 60 rushes but it was his 18.5 yards per catch that stood out as he made his first of three Pro Bowls that season.
His best campaign came in 1955 when he averaged more than 20 yards per catch — hauling in 29 passes for 608 yards and eight touchdowns. His speed continued throughout his career as he even had 638 yards on 31 receptions (20.6 yards per catch average) at the age of 33 in 1962.
For 12 years, Renfro was with the Browns and he won two NFL Championships with them (in 1954 and 1955). Once his career was over, he got into coaching and won a Super Bowl as the quarterback and receiver coach for the Dallas Cowboys in 1972.
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 10. Nick Chubb
A member of the 2018 NFL Draft class makes the list as running back Nick Chubb can be classified as a draft steal for the Browns. Like the past few names, Chubb doesn’t make this list for being a late-round steal. Instead, he was arguably the best rookie running back, despite not being the first chosen at the position. In fact, he wasn’t even the first running back taken out of Georgia.
The first running back to get selected was Saquon Barkley who ended up winning the Rookie of the Year award. After that, it was San Diego State’s Rashad Penny, who landed with the Seattle Seahawks at No. 27 overall. Penny averaged a very respectable 4.9 yards per attempt, but had just 85 carries and 419 yards. After Penny, it was Chubb’s college teammate, Sony Michel, taken at No. 31 by the New England Patriots.
Michel had the most rushing attempts among the three rookies, as New England gave him 209 carries. He finished with 831 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 4.5 yards per attempt — with a long of 34 for the season. Then, there was Chubb.
The Brown rookie initially crossed the 1,000-yard plateau in Week 17 before a couple of rushes for a loss of yardage left him with 996 yards on the ground. He accomplished this on just 192 carries, which gave him an average of 5.2 yards per rush. Chubb also set the franchise record for the longest run in history when he ripped off a 92-yard touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons.
Since then, he has hit 1,000-yards in every season even though he missed four games in 2020. In three years, Chubb has amassed 3,557 yards and 28 touchdowns. He works perfectly alongside Kareem Hunt showing that even though he’s a superstar, he’s an even better teammate.
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 9. Chuck Noll
When the name Chuck Noll is mentioned, the first team that comes to mind is the hated Pittsburgh Steelers. And that’s understandable considering he was the head coach of the Browns’ biggest rival from 1969 through 1991.
During that time, Noll won four Super Bowls for the Steelers but what is often forgotten about with Noll is that he started his career with the Cleveland Browns as a linebacker. Noll came out of Dayton after missing out on his dream school of Notre Dame.
He was taken in the 20th round of the 1953 NFL Draft and Noll tasted success immediately. Cleveland was in the NFL Championship Game during his rookie season where they lost to the Detroit Lions. However, they won the title the following two seasons.
Noll was moved from linebacker to guard and was given the role of “messenger” where he would shuttle the plays in from head coach Paul Brown to the quarterback. He was constantly praised for his intelligence, Brown even saying Noll could simply call the plays on his own.
For nine seasons, Noll was with Cleveland and he decided when he lost his starting job in 1959 that it was time to hang up the cleats and get into coaching. As good as he was playing the game, Noll was insurmountably better as a coach.
He spent time as an assistant with the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Colts but was a head coach with only the Steelers.
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 8. Jim Ray Smith
Back when he was at Baylor, Jim Ray Smith was known as a two-way tackle meaning he played on both the offensive and defensive line for the Bears. He was eventually drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 1954 NFL Draft.
That sounds much worse than it was as the NFL was much smaller then, and he was till the 64th overall pick. Still, that was late for the Browns to have landed a player who would become a star for them for seven seasons. Of course, this came after nearly a two-year break from the game as Smith first had to go serve in the U.S. Army.
Once he was back in the league, Smith made five Pro Bowls as an offensive guard for the Browns — all consecutively from 1958 through 1962. Those were also the only five seasons where he was a full-time starter in Cleveland.
Smith was set to retire after 1961 to work in his real estate business but Cleveland convinced him to come back for one more season. He was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in 1963 which allowed him to play his final year in the NFL on his hometown team.
He was such a solid player that he can now be found in the Baylor Hall of Fame, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame as well as the College Football Hall of Fame.
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 7. Bobby Mitchell
Bobby Mitchell proved to be quite the athlete during his collegiate days. Not only was he a great football player, but he also was offered a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals to play in major league baseball.
He elected to stick with football and was a versatile weapon in the NFL who lined up at both halfback and wide receiver during his 11-year career. A seventh-round selection in 1958 out of Illinois, Mitchell spent four seasons with the Cleveland Browns where he lined up as a halfback.
He played alongside Jim Brown and had 2,297 yards rushing in four years with 16 touchdowns as well as 1,462 yards and 16 more touchdowns on 128 receptions. Following his time in Cleveland, Mitchell moved on to play for Washington, where he was moved to wide receiver.
In that role, he really took off. In his first two seasons with Washington, he was electric. In 1962, he had 72 receptions for 1,384 yards and 11 touchdowns followed up by a 1963 campaign that saw him catch 69 passes for 1,436 yards and seven scores.
As a member of Washington, Mitchell had 393 receptions for 6,492 yards and 49 touchdowns as a wideout. While he had his best seasons with a different club, Mitchell was still a steal for the Browns. Of course, if he played all 11 seasons in Cleveland, he would probably be much higher on this list.
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 6. Andra Davis
The Browns drafted two players in the 2002 NFL Draft with very similar names — and got very different results. With their second-round pick, the 47th overall selection, Cleveland took wide receiver Andre Davis out of Virginia Tech.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Davis never developed into a consistent threat and finished his three seasons in The Land by catching 156 passes for 1,412 yards and 13 touchdowns. He never even hit 600 yards in a single season and wasn’t worth the investment the Browns put into him.
In the same draft, they did wind up with Andra Davis as well, taking the Florida linebacker at No. 141 overall in the fifth round. The 6-foot-1, 250-pound linebacker spent his rookie season as a reserve but found himself in the starting lineup in his second year with the Browns.
That 2003 season ended up being one to remember for Davis, as he racked up 136 tackles, five sacks, six pass defenses, and two forced fumbles. He ended up playing seven seasons total with the Browns and crossed the 100-tackle mark three separate times in his career.
After his time with the Browns ended, Davis had been credited with 641 career tackles, 8.5 sacks, and four interceptions. That was more production than they expected out of the day-three pick.
Once he left Cleveland, Davis spent three more seasons in the NFL. He was with the Denver Broncos for one year before heading to the Buffalo Bills for his last two campaigns.”
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 5. Cody Risien
Whenever we talk about old-school offensive linemen, the sizes don’t seem to add up to what we are used to seeing today. That wasn’t exactly the case with Cody Risien, however.
A seventh-round pick (No. 183 overall) out of Texas A&M in 1979, Risien was a whopping 6-foot-7 and 270-pounds. Sure, in today’s NFL, he would probably look more like a tight end, but having someone at 6-foot-7 on the offensive line wasn’t exactly the norm.
What Risien took pride in was run blocking and during his time with the Browns, he helped pave the way for four 1,000-yard rushers on the ground. Risien also helped the Browns win the Central Division title five times before being honored with a nod to the team’s Hall of Fame.
During his career, he was also named to two Pro Bowls while in Cleveland, both of which came later in his career.
The first Pro Bowl he earned was in 1986 and he made his second in 1987. This doesn’t mean he wasn’t good before those seasons as Risien did make the Second-Team All-Pro in 1983, but somehow was left out of the Pro Bowl voting for several years of his career.
Risien proved throughout his career to be a stud and was an absolute steal for where he was taken in the draft.
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.”
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 3. Earnest Byner
Coming in at No. 3 on our list is running back Earnest Byner, who ended up having two stints with the Browns. His first was when Cleveland selected him in the 10th round of the 1984 NFL Draft. Byner, who played fullback at East Carolina, was known as a bruising back, but was also incredibly versatile. He spent time as a return man during his career, while also shining as a receiver.
After rushing for 426 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, Byner had his best season in a Browns uniform the following year. He finished his second campaign in The Land with 1,002 yards on the ground, 460 receiving, and had 10 total touchdowns.
He did this while splitting carries with rookie first-round pick Kevin Mack. That ended up being one of the more impressive rushing seasons in NFL history, as both Byner and Mack topped the 1,000-yard mark.
Byner ended up leaving the Browns after the 1988 season and then spent five years with the Washington Redskins. He had twice topped the 1,000-yard mark with them and finished with 3,950 yards in Washington uniform. Then, Byner returned home in 1994.
He was with the club in 1994 and 1995 and still remained incredibly productive, despite being over the age of 30 and playing in a reduced role. Byner then moved with the original franchise in 1996 when they became the Baltimore Ravens. As for his time with the Browns, he finished seventh all-time in rushing yards and seventh in touchdowns on the ground.
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 2. Brian Sipe
The 1980 season is one that Browns fans still discuss to this day. Known as the ‘Kardiac Kids’, that team made their mark by winning in close games. They ended up 11-5 on the year and had seven games decided by three points or fewer and 12 of them were within a touchdown.
Unfortunately, that campaign ended short of their goal of getting a Super Bowl appearance. They were close, but the infamous Red Right 88 play resulted in a close loss to the Oakland Raiders.
That play went down in history as one of the most heartbreaking moments in the team’s history and many people may remember Brian Sipe for being the quarterback who threw the pick that sealed their fate.
While he was responsible for that, Sipe still earned MVP honors for that campaign. He earned that honor by completing 60.8 percent of his passes for 4,132 yards and 30 touchdowns. That was easily the best season of his career, but Sipe was no one-hit-wonder.
The San Diego State product was a long-time starter for the Browns, who selected him in the 13th round of the 1972 NFL Draft. The 330th player in the draft, Sipe was a full-time starter by his third season in the league. He ended up with 112 starts in his career and was 57-55 in that span.
For his career, Sipe finished just ahead of Otto Graham for the most passing yards in Browns’ history with 23,713. He was second in touchdowns with 154 in his career.
Cleveland Browns best NFL Draft steals of all time: 1. Leroy Kelly
If it feels like the NFL Draft lasts long now with seven rounds, think about how it would be if they still had 20 rounds as they did back in 1964 when the Browns took Leroy Kelly in the eight-round at No. 110 overall.
Of course, there were only 14 teams at the time, so the number of picks wasn’t too far from what we have now. Even so, the eighth round for a running back who ended up starting 111 games is quite the steal.
Coming out of Morgan State in Baltimore, Kelly joined a Browns team that already had the legendary Jim Brown on their roster. Due to his presence, Kelly was relegated to a backup role on offense and had just 43 carried and nine receptions in 1964 and 1965 combined.
That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a contributor, though. During those years, Kelly was the primary return man for Cleveland and scored a touchdown as a rookie and two more as a sophomore on punt returns. He averaged 15.5 yards per punt return during that span and 25 yards per kickoff return.
Then in 1966, he took over for Brown, who retired after the 1965 season. Kelly quickly became a star as he finished his first 14 games as a starter with 1,141 yards and 15 touchdowns. The next two seasons, he led the league with 1,205 yards and 1,239 yards respectively, while adding a total of 27 more scores as well.
Kelly ended up playing 10 seasons with the Browns and made the Pro Bowl six times — all consecutively from 1966 to 1971. He ended up No. 2 all-time in Cleveland history with 7,274 yards rushing and 74 touchdowns.
Those numbers were hardly expected when he was drafted by the Browns, making him their biggest steal of all-time.