The 10 biggest what-ifs in Cleveland Browns history

7. What if the Dolphins drafted Brady Quinn?

The 2007 NFL Draft was extremely hyped for some of the quarterback intrigue surrounding it. JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn were the subjects of interest, and although now we know neither of those guys ended up having good NFL careers, they were being talked about as two top-10 picks in that particular class.

Russell was the no. 1 overall pick to the Raiders. Two selections later, the Cleveland Browns got Joe Thomas. Certainly one of the best draft picks in franchise history. But the Miami Dolphins shocked the NFL world when they passed on Brady Quinn with the 9th overall pick, instead selecting Ohio State wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr.

This started a free-fall for Brady Quinn in the 2007 NFL Draft and the Browns came to his rescue, trading their 2008 first-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys to move up from pick no. 36 overall to pick No. 22 and select Quinn. The move was widely celebrated as a steal at the time for the Browns, but in hindsight, it would have been better for Cleveland if the Dolphins had just taken Quinn like everyone thought they would.

The Cowboys used that pick on Felix Jones the following year, and the second-round pick turned into QB Kevin Kolb. In the end, it's not really about who the Browns could have taken but it's about the fact that the team was so desperate for a long-term QB option that they gave themselves a reason to not put a little more time into Derek Anderson in 2008 after he made the Pro Bowl following the 2007 season.