5 biggest Cleveland Browns first-round busts since 1999
By John Suchan
Cleveland Browns biggest bust in first round No. 2: RB, Trent Richardson
Another problem with the 2012 NFL Draft was that the Browns drafted running back Trent Richardson at No. 3 before taking the before mentioned Weeden. Initially, the pick was a popular one and after year one it seemed like a good one as well.
Richardson who had been a star at Alabama ended up running for 950 yards and had 11 touchdowns that first season. He also caught 51 passes for 367 yards. But the 3.6 yards per carry should have been a red flag for the franchise. As a comparison, current Browns running back Nick Chubb has a 5.3 yards per carry average.
By the following season, things took an abrupt downward shift as after game two, Richardson was traded to the Indianapolis Colts where his career continued to go south. He lasted one more season with the Colts and was out of the league. He has a good case for the biggest Browns bust considering he was drafted at No. 3.
Cleveland Browns biggest bust in first round No. 1: CB, Justin Gilbert
The 2014 NFL Draft for Cleveland was memorable for the team drafting Johnny Manziel at No. 22 in that first round. What has made it even worse is that the team drafted Justin Gilbert, the cornerback from Oklahoma State at No. 8. He lasted 23 games with the Browns spanning two seasons. It got so bad, that in year two the team tried having him field kickoffs.
He only started in three games in his time in Cleveland and before his third season with the team, Gilbert was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers where he played sparingly, and by the following season, he was gone.
The fact that the Browns drafted a cornerback at No. 8 who wasn’t projected at being anywhere near that value at the time, is why he’s the biggest bust, but a lot of that failure lies with the team. Taking Gilbert and then Manziel was probably the worst first-round picks in the history of the franchise.
Next. A history lesson: Cleveland Browns first draft picks. dark
Cleveland has come a long way since that moment in time and hopefully, the upcoming draft will give the team more opportunity to pick up players that won’t be duds in two years.