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

5. What if the Cleveland Browns didn’t trade for Trent Richardson?

This was a bit of a head-scratcher when the Browns ended up trading four picks to jump one spot of the Vikings from No. 4 to No. 3 in order to draft Alabama running back Trent Richardson.

Many mock drafts at the time had Richardson going to the Browns at four, but former general manager Tom Heckert thought it would be a good idea to relinquish three of the Browns 13 draft picks that year.

Initially, the move paid off for Cleveland as Richardson had a successful rookie campaign. He rushed for 950 yards and 11 touchdowns. Two games into his sophomore season, he was traded to the Colts. Luckily for the Browns, Richardson was not very good with Indy and was out of the league after the 2014 season.

Instead of using a first-round pick on Richardson, the Browns could have used that pick on guys like offensive tackle Matt Kalil, linebacker Luke Kuechly, cornerback Stephon Gilmore, or defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. All four of those players would go on to be Pro Bowlers.

Ironically enough, the Browns have been liked to Gilmore for the past year or so. It would be fitting for the Browns to pass on a player in a draft only to potentially acquiring said player later on.