10 Superstars the Cleveland Browns could have drafted since 1999

Superstar Player the Cleveland Browns Could Have Drafted in 2002

It’s somewhat comical that this list starts off with four consecutive Hall of Famers, but Ed Reed takes the cake being that he faced off against the Browns twice a year for 11 years. Of his 64-career interceptions, 12 of those picks came courtesy of Cleveland and the slew of quarterbacks that have been under center.

Before we take a look at how Reed became a member of the Hall of Fame, let’s discuss who the Browns drafted eight picks ahead. That gentleman would be running back William Green out of Boston College. So Cleveland passed up on Tomlinson in favor of a defensive player and a year later, they passed on Reed in favor of a running back of all offensive positions.

Green played all 48 games of his NFL career with the Browns and turned out to be a bust, mainly due to injuries. He rushed for 2,109 yards, and nine touchdowns while catching 45 passes for 277 yards, and he did fumble twelve times. Again, Tomlinson was passed by this franchise and a year later they took Green. Comical.

Now, back to Reed who is considered the best safety or at least is in the conversation, of all time. Reed helped lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory over the 49ers. He was named the 2004 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, the first of three years (2008 and 2010) where he led the league in interceptions. He was a five-time First-Team All-Pro and three-time Second-Team All-Pro selection and was a Pro Bowler nine times.

He finished his career with the 64 interceptions, seven returned for touchdowns, one of which he set the NFL record for the longest interception returned for a touchdown at 108 yards. He had 139 passes defensed, 11 forced fumbles, and 13 fumble recoveries, two returned for touchdowns.

Reed is tied with Bill Simpson for most career playoff interceptions with 9. He has more postseason picks than the Browns have playoff games played since returning in 1999. Yikes.