Ranking the Browns biggest NFL draft gems of the last decade

General manager Andrew Berry hasn't been afraid to make moves through trades or free agency since taking over for the Cleveland Browns. During his tenure, Berry gave up draft picks for Deshaun Watson, Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, and Jerry Jeudy. He also signed Dalvin Tomlinson, Juan Thornhill, and Shelby Harris.

As much as those moves meant to the roster, the best way to build a team that can compete long-term is by hitting on draft picks. Thankfully, Berry has done that — as did his predecessor. With that being said, let's check out the top draft gems over the past 10 years.

Note: Draft gems aren't necessarily late-round picks but rather players who accomplished more than what was expected of them since being selected by the Browns.

7. Martin Emerson, CB

In 2022, Cleveland didn't have a pick in Round 1 due to the Deshaun Watson trade. They then dropped out of the second round, meaning their first selection didn't come until No. 68 overall. When they finally made their choice, it was cornerback Martin Emerson from Mississippi State.

With Greg Newsome II, Denzel Ward, and Greedy Williams already on the roster, this was a head-scratching pick. However, it didn't take long to see why Berry made the call.

Emerson started making plays in the preseason and has yet to stop. He broke up 15 passes as a rookie and then 14 more this past season. He also added four interceptions, two of which came in their Week 14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Heading into year three, Emerson continues to grow as a player and there's a belief the front office will move on from Newsome — a former first-round selection — to extend Emerson before his rookie deal ends.

6. Grant Delpit, S

The 2020 NFL Draft was the first time we saw Andrew Berry make selections as the GM. He kicked things off with Jedrick Wills from Alabama, a move met with universal praise. Wills was a right tackle for the Crimson Tide and Berry had just signed Jack Conklin in free agency to play on that side. With Wills, they felt he had the tools to handle the blindside.

As a rookie, he did a great job but has trended in the wrong direction since. Thankfully, the second selection Berry made that season has worked out much better.

Despite trading down to pick 44, the Browns were still able to land LSU safety Grant Delpit. Early on during the 2019 campaign, Delpit appeared to be a lock for the first round but after playing through a high ankle sprain, his draft stock took a hit.

That was a win for the Browns, who have been thrilled with his production. Delpit missed his entire rookie campaign due to a torn Achilles but he bounced back and has 251 tackles, 16 pass defenses, and six interceptions in three years. This past season, he was making plays all over the field and even had seven tackles for a loss.

Delpit was signed to a three-year extension ahead of Week 14 last year but was lost due to injury that same weekend. His return will be welcomed since he's become an impressive playmaker under Jim Schwartz.

5. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB

As good as Grant Delpit was in the scheme Jim Schwartz brought over, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was better.

Much like Delpit, JOK was widely believed to be a first-round pick leading into the draft. His stock also fell, but there were a couple of factors.

One was a heart issue that was noticed during medical checks. The other was his size and playing style. At 6-foot-2 and 221 pounds, JOK was built like a safety and spent some time there for Notre Dame. However, his style of play made him a better fit as a linebacker — and not every team could see him playing that position at 221 pounds.

JOK said his heart was deemed healthy and the Browns doctors agreed. Clearly, they were all correct since he's been in the league for three years now and has had no issues whatsoever.

As for his play on the field, Owusu-Koramoah was good in his first couple of seasons but made a massive leap in 2023. With Schwartz calling defensive plays — plus the improved strength along the defensive line — JOK was able to use his speed and instincts to make one play after another.

He finished the season with 101 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, and an incredible 20 tackles for a loss.

Entering the final year of his rookie deal, JOK has exceeded all expectations and should be in line for an extension very soon.

4. Denzel Ward, CB

All eyes were on the Cleveland Browns during the 2018 NFL Draft. Following years of stockpiling picks, they went into this draft with four selections in the first 35 picks. That started with the No. 1 overall selection, which naturally received all the attention.

There was a healthy debate between Sam Darnold from USC and Baker Mayfield from Oklahoma. While nearly everyone though Darnold would be the choice, former Cleveland GM John Dorsey went with the brash Mayfield.

We all know how that went as Mayfield was up and down for four seasons before being replaced by Watson. As for the pick that came next, that's where Cleveland hit a home run.

With the fourth overall pick, the Browns added Denzel Ward from Ohio State. Naturally, Browns fans were thrilled to finally see a Buckeye get selected early and Ward didn't disappoaint.

In his debut, he put the clamps on Antonio Brown — and this was AB when he was still good, well before he froze his feet and tried to sneak a homemade Raiders helmet onto the practice field. Ward picked off Ben Roethlisberger twice in that game and even though it ended in a tie, Ward proved he was the real deal.

He's only improved since then and enters 2024 with 273 tackles, 15 interceptions, 76 pass defenses, and four defensive touchdowns on his resume. And at just 27 years of age, there's plenty of time for the Warden to do even more damage.

3. David Njoku, TE

In 2017, the Cleveland Browns had three picks in the first round and came away with three quality players. At No. 1 overall, they landed Myles Garrett from Texas A&M. They then dropped out of the No. 12 spot in a trade with the Houston Texans, who ironically took Deshaun Watson.

After that, they landed Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers at No. 25, and then at No. 29 it was Miami tight end David Njoku.

At the time of his selection, Njoku was still just 20 years old and was seen as an incredibly raw talent. Still, he had all the tools to develop into a star. Cleveland brought him along slowly as he had 32 receptions for 386 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie but then he showed out in 2018 with 56 receptions for 639 yards and four touchdowns.

From there, things got tough for Njoku. He missed 12 games in 2019 and fell down the depth chart after Austin Hooper signed in the offseason. Initially, Njoku wanted out but he rescinded his trade request after speaking with Kevin Stefanski, and before long, Hooper was released and Njoku got the huge extension.

This past season, he finally reached his full potential as he had 81 receptions for 882 yards and six touchdowns. All those were career highs for him and they came despite a slow start. That makes it even more exciting to think about what he can do in 2024 if he gets the workload all year that he had to close out 2023.

2. Nick Chubb, RB

Much like Denzel Ward, the second selection in Round 2 of the 2018 NFL Draft was the better one for the Browns.

Cleveland went with Baker Mayfield at No. 1 and Ward at No. 4. Then in Round 2, they started the night by taking Austin Corbett, a guard from Nevada at No. 33. He hardly made any noise with the team and was traded away after just three games in his second season.

The Browns also had the 35th pick in the draft which they used on Georgia running back Nick Chubb. That was another selection met with universal praise and Chubb has been the heartbeat of this offense since stepping on the field.

He missed out on 1,000 yards as a rookie by four yards — and actually had crossed the plateau before losing four yards on his final two rushing attempts. After that, he reeled off four straight 1,000-yard campaigns and scored 40 touchdowns.

Sadly, he suffered an awful knee injury in Week 2 of the 2023 season after another hot start. Chubb was gaining 6.1 yards per attempt and already had 170 yards on 28 carries. He ended up with a torn ACL and MCL thanks to a low hit from Minkah Fitzpatrick and while the Browns expect him back in 2024, they don't intend on him being there in Week 1.

When Chubb does return, he's going to have his sights set on becoming No. 3 all-time in rushing yards in franchise history. He currently has 6,511 yards and is right behind Mike Pruitt with 6,540. He's also within striking distance of Leroy Kelly, who had 7,274 yards. Not bad at all for the fourth player John Dorsey selected that year.

1. Myles Garrett, DE

Want to hear a funny story? There were actually some people who thought the Browns should skip on Myles Garrett at No. 1 overall in 2017.

Believe it or not, there was a large contingent that felt Derek Barnett was just as good — if not better — as rushing the quarterback as Garrett. As if that wasn't enough, there were even more fans who thought the Browns should go for Mitchell Trubisky.

The argument was that Cleveland would never get anywhere without a quarterback, but we all know what the driving force was — Trubsiky was from Mentor, Ohio and the proud Ohio fan base wanted the home grown kid.

Thankfully, the Browns didn't listen to any of this as they took Garrett first overall. Since being selected, he's not only met expectations, he's absolutely shattered them.

Garrett has been so good in his career that his seven sacks in 11 games as a rookie constitute a poor performance for him. Outside of that season, he's never had fewer than 10 sacks in a year and already owns the franchise record for the most in a single season (16, which he did in 2021 and 2022) and in a career (88.5).

He's also been able to put his name in the NFL record books now that he took home the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.

That 2017 draft class was one for the ages. While players such as Trubisky, Solomon Thomas (No. 3 overall pick), and even Derek Barnett (No. 14 to Philadelphia) were busts, guys such as Garrett, David Njoku, Christian McCaffrey, and Patrick Mahomes turned out to be superstars.

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