After years of having early picks, the Cleveland Browns won't have a selection until No. 74 in the 2023 NFL Draft. This is after not making their first pick until No. 68 last season, although that turned out just fine as Martin Emerson proved to be a steal.
His performance isn't the only proof that talent can be found in Round 3. For example, here we have a list of players taken at No. 74 overall that have done well for themselves. And this is with us just going back to 2013 and finding the top 3 players chosen at that spot since then.
Honorable mentions: Geron Christian, OT, Washington Commanders (2018), Zack Baun, New Orleans Saints (2020), Benjamin St-Juste, DB, Washington Commanders (2021)
Jury still out: Desmond Ridder, QB, Atlanta Falcons (2022)
No. 3: Chris Wormley, DT, Baltimore Ravens (2019)
This one is tough to admit because Chris Wormley was not only drafted by the Baltimore Ravens but he also spent three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. A former standout at Michigan, he was chosen at No. 74 in the 2017 NFL Draft and spent the first three years of his career in Baltimore.
Wormley played in 39 games with 15 starts for the Ravens and had 54 tackles with 2.5 sacks. He had the talent but was still a reserve due to the players around him.
This led to a rare trade with a divisional rival as he was sent to Pittsburgh in 2020. Wormley played in 41 games for the Steelers with 16 more starts and was much better with them.
Our ball 💪@Chris_Wormley43 | @_TJWatt | 📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/Q4aTeC0o4r
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 3, 2021
He wound up with 88 tackles and 8.5 sacks with a 51 tackle, seven-sack campaign in 2021 proving to be the best of his career.
No. 2: Terrance Williams, WR, Dallas Cowboys (2013)
In 2013, the Dallas Cowboys were in need of wide receiver depth with Miles Austin trending in the wrong direction. They ended up finding that when they used the 74th pick that season on Terrance Williams out of Baylor.
Williams, who likely wouldn't have been on Andrew Berry's radar due to being 24 as a rookie, wound up becoming he No. 2 wideout across from Dez Bryant that season. And even with Bryant, Jason Witten, and Cole Beasley catching passes from Tony Romo, the rookie still had a remarkable first season with 736 yards and five touchdowns in 44 receptions.
He continued to make the most of his chances over the next two seasons, hauling in 621 yards and eight touchdowns in 2014 followed by 840 yards and three touchdowns in 2015. Throughout those first three seasons, Williams averaged more than 16 yards per reception, serving as a serious deep threat in their offense.
COWBOYS FILM ROOM 🎬: Tony Romo with the houdini spin move on JJ Watt to connect with Terrance Williams for a 43yd TD! ✭ #dallascowboys pic.twitter.com/DX5QYrduSO
— Dallas Cowboys Network (@TheCowboysNet) June 19, 2021
From there, however, things went in the wrong direction for Williams. Romo was out due to injury and in came Dak Prescott. The rapport was not the same as Williams had 594 yards in 2016 and 568 in 2017 before catching just two passes in 2018 — which was his final year in the league.
Even with that decline, Williams had 232 receptions for 3,377 yards and 20 touchdowns — and he was the one who caught the final pass of Romo's career, which was a touchdown in the last week of the 2016 campaign. Cleveland would surely take that production with their first pick this season.
No. 1: Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills (2019)
The 2023 NFL Draft class is absolutely loaded at running back but if we're being honest, this is a position where talent can often be found during the second night of the draft. Cleveland knows this as they landed Nick Chubb at pick No. 35 in 2018.
That was of course in Round 2, but Round 3 has had its share of solid running backs as well. Alvin Kamara and Kareem Hunt are two players that come to mind. But another running back who has found success but remains wildly underrated is Devin Singletary.
A product of Florida Atlantic, Singletary was taken at No. 74 by the Buffalo Bills in 2019 and he was a starter before the end of his rookie season. That year, he had 775 yards on just 151 rushes and added 194 yards as a receiver.
He continued to serve as their starter for the next three seasons, playing four years in all in Western New York with 56 starts in 61 games. He never topped the 1,000-yard mark in a single campaign but had 3,151 yards and 16 touchdowns in four years with an average of 4.7 yards per attempt.
Singletary also proved to be a weapon as a pass-catcher, bringing in 145 receptions for 971 yards and four more touchdowns. Even with his performance, Buffalo never seemed sold and he headed to Houston this offseason as a free agent.
Cleveland might not need a running back that early but with this class being so loaded, it wouldn't be a surprise to see one with even more potential available when they're on the clock at 74.