5 star players the Browns could have drafted in the past 5 years

Right now, the NFL Draft isn't what it used to be for the Cleveland Browns. They haven't had a pick in Round 1 or Round 2 for the past two seasons and will be without a Round 1 pick again in 2024.

It's easy to think the lack of picks will hurt their chances at building depth but that's far from true. Not only are they currently boasting a strong roster but even with all their selections, it's still not an exact science when it comes to drafting.

For example, here are five star players that Cleveland could have landed but missed out on in the past five years.

2022 NFL Draft Pick No. 143: Chigoziem Okonkwo, TE (Browns took Cade York at No. 124)

Other option in the same draft: Tyler Allgeier (No. 151 to Atlanta), DaRon Bland (No. 167 to Dallas)

Without a selection until No. 68, the Browns didn't really have a shot at a ton of "star" players. On top of that, it's also difficult to label a player a star after just one campaign — unless he really shows out.

Still, the theme here is to find one player they could have come away with in each of the past five drafts, and a name that stands out from 2022 is Chigoziem Okonkwo from Maryland.

The 6-foot-2, 244-pound tight end was a fourth-round selection, heading to the Titans by way of the 143rd selection. As a rookie, Okonkwo proved to be a weapon in the passing game with 450 yards and three touchdowns on 32 receptions — which is an average of 14.1 yards per catch.

He also did the majority of that damage in the second half of the season as he entered Week 9 with just five receptions for 52 yards.

Looking ahead to 2023, he could be even better, and while the Browns are happy with David Njoku, adding Okonkwo as a TE2 might have sat better than taking Cade York, who wasn't great as a rookie.