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Browns top pookie pool allocations

Len Pasquarelli, The Sports Xchange

ATLANTA - Cleveland didn't have the dubious distinction of having the NFL's worst record in 2011, but the Browns - who traded up one spot to the No. 3 slot to select Alabama tailback Trent Richardson, and who also exercised the most choices over the three days of the event - own the largest rookie pool allocation for 2012.

According to NFLPLA documents obtained by The Sports Xchange, the Browns have a 2012 rookie pool of $9.72 million. That is believed to be, at worst, among the largest rookie pool amounts of all-time.

The $9.72 million is nearly 20 percent more than the highest rookie pool number for 2011, an allocation to the Denver Broncos of $8.118 million. It represents a bump of almost 30 percent over the highest allocation from 2010.

The number is in large part due to the fact the Browns exercised a pair of choices in the first round, Richardson (No. 3) and quarterback Brandon Weeden (22nd overall), and by the fact the Browns made the largest number of picks.

Although the top pool allocation increased once again, as it typically does, the league-wide pool did not rise substantially. After negotiations between the league and the NFLPA, which essentially went right up to the kickoff of the draft, the pool for 2012 increased by less than 1 percent over a year ago.

Eighteen teams, one fewer than a year ago, received rookie pools of $5 million or more, and five got allocations of $7 million or more; that was one more than in 2010. Only three teams, half from last year, had pools of under $4 million. All of those clubs made six choices or fewer, including New Orleans, which exercised only five choices, lowest in the league.

Not surprisingly, then, the Saints received a league-low $2.271 million pool.

Conversely, there were six franchises that made double-digit selections, and all of them ranked in the top 10 in terms of pool money. Of the five teams that made multiple first-round selections, only New England, which ended up making just seven choices, rated outside the top 10 in allocation,

Here is a team-by-team breakdown of the 2012 rookie pool2012 rookie pool allocations

Team - Players chosen - Rookie pool ($)

1. Cleveland - 11 - 9,721,499

2. Indianapolis - 10 - 8,572,646

3. Minnesota - 10 - 8,566,327

4. Washington - 9 - 7,484,847

5. St. Louis - 10 - 7,102,966

6. Cincinnati - 10 - 6,885,906

7. Miami - 9 - 6,438,700

8. Buffalo - 9 - 6,333,372

9. Tampa Bay - 7 - 6,166,005

10. Seattle - 10 - 6,111,693

11. Jacksonville - 6 - 6,108,805

12. Philadelphia - 9 - 5,969,656

13. Dallas - 7 - 5,714,522

14. Kansas City - 8 - 5,618,047

15. Carolina - 7 - 5,454,106

16. New England - 7 - 5,402,958

17. Pittsburgh - 9 - 5,136,933

18. N.Y. Jets - 8 - 5,039,093

19. Green Bay - 8 - 4,849,267

20. Detroit - 8 - 4,838,811

21. Houston - 8 - 4,833,662

22. San Diego - 7 - 4,574,594

23. Arizona - 7 - 4,527,891

24. Tennessee - 7 - 4,487,874

25. Baltimore - 8 - 4,318,165

26. Chicago - 6 - 4,189,971

27. N.Y. Giants - 7 - 4.097,738

28. San Francisco - 7 - 4,026,664

29. Denver - 7 - 4,020,223

30. Atlanta - 6 -- 2,861,654

31. Oakland - 6 - 2,682,656

32. New Orleans - 5 - 2,271,903