Cleveland Browns: Best 5 draft picks of the past 5 years

With the NFL draft only days away, we take a look back at the five best selections the Cleveland Browns have made over the last five years.

Over the course of the last five seasons, the Cleveland Browns have made legitimate strides towards becoming a respectable franchise. The progression has not always been linear, and there have been some detours along the way, but the Browns are undoubtedly trending upward.

For the first time since the franchise returned to the NFL in 1999, the Browns have a capable front office in place and a solid foundation of talent to build upon.

The front office operates under a few select personnel philosophies that often get referred to as guardrails. It starts in the scouting department and carries a common thread through the front office. For the sake of this article, we will focus on three main bullet points.

First, they select young players at key positions. Then they identify the talent they wish to retain and build around. Finally, they pay them early so they can stay ahead of escalating contracts at premium positions.

While these are not revolutionary ideas and practices, they definitely can be filed under the easier said than done category. What has separated this current front office from the iterations that have come and gone in Berea? They finally began to hit on their early draft picks and were able to retain talented homegrown players to create a foundation.

Here are the five best Browns draft selections over the course of the past five years.

Cleveland Browns Draft Bullseye No. 5: JOK and Greg Newsome

I know, I know. Starting off the list with two players is kind of cheating, I get it. But these two young defensive studs are a package deal that will be intertwined throughout their time in Cleveland. Jeremiah Owusu Koramoah and Greg Newsome represent the next wave of cornerstones that the Browns will attempt to build around.

In the 1,000 plus simulated drafts that the Browns front office executed leading up to the drafts, zero had Newsome and Owusu Koramoah available at the slots they were taken (26, 52). Both graded out as high-end first-round selections, but the board fell in a way that ultimately led to the Browns bringing the future of their defense into the fold. The duo both proved their worth on the field and handled themselves like veterans over the course of their rookie seasons.

Newsome and Owusu-Koramoah were both named to multiple all-rookie teams, including the Pro Football Writers of America NFL all-rookie team. With the duo expected to take additional steps in their sophomore campaigns, both should be in the conversation for Pro Bowl nominations at season’s end.

Although they both have the capability to be elite at their respective positions, their journey will differ. Newsome has the luxury of growing into his role because he is starting opposite of Denzel Ward and has a safety net of the league’s deepest cornerback room.

Owusu Koramoah, on the other hand, is going to have a ton on his plate as the team’s primary dime linebacker with only average depth behind him. If he is able to stay healthy, JOK should be a lock to lead the team in tackles.