Cleveland Browns: 10 biggest ‘what ifs?’ in the NFL Draft since 1999

6. What if the Cleveland Browns drafted Aaron Donald in 2014?

Could you imagine a defensive front that featured the likes of Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett? Well, the Browns could have potentially had that, or at least the first part of the equation in 2014.

In the 2014 draft, Cleveland had the 8th overall pick and drafted cornerback Justin Gilbert. Five picks later and the Rams snagged Donald, who has gone on to become an All-Pro interior defensive lineman.

Donald is one of the very best at giving opposing quarterbacks nightmares and a player of his caliber likely would have shifted the Browns franchise just enough to be out on Garrett when he came out of college.

One pick ahead of Donald, the Giants took Odell Beckham, who five years later ended up being a Brown. The No. 1 overall pick of that draft was Jadeveon Clowney, who recently signed a one-year deal with the Browns. Now if only there was a way to get Donald — never mind.

As for who the Browns did select, Gilbert spent his first two seasons with Cleveland before being dealt to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2018 6th round pick. The Steelers released him in 2017 and the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him for one year for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.