Cleveland Browns all-time best draft picks, by pick: From 101 to 200
The NFL Draft is a time for eternal optimism. It's a time when every fanbase believes every pick is going to turn into, if not a Hall of Famer, at least a consistent Pro Bowler.
The Browns are no different. Every pick has a chance to be a Joe Thomas, Jim Brown or Gene Hickerson.
So, who has been the best player the Browns have selected at each of the draft slots throughout the years?
All-time Browns draft picks, No. 1-100: Cleveland Browns all-time best draft picks, by pick: From 1 to 100
That's what we're going to try and answer over the next three days. Please remember, "best" is a relative term; someone has to be the best actor in a bad movie, even if the actor is bad as well.
Previously in Part 1 of the series, we looked at the No. 1 overall pick through pick No. 100. Today, it's Part 2 looking at pick Nos. 101-200. Saturday, it'll conclude with picks Nos. 202 to the very last pick, which at one time numbered in the 300s.
Back to the list now, with the best at No 101 overall.
No. 101: Kevin Bentley, LB, Northwestern, 2002
It's either Bentley or early 1990s defensive end Harlon Barnett. Both spent three seasons in Cleveland, but it was Bentley's overall production, with 198 combined tackles, that is the separator.
No. 102: Jordan Cameron, TE USC, 2011
Cameron earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2013 with more than 900 receiving yards. The six-year pro finished with more than 2,000 yards receiving.
No. 103: Anthony Blaylock, DB, Winston-Salem State, 1988
Blaylock finished with two interceptions, a fumble return for a touchdown and five sacks in 49 games for the Browns. None of the other players picked at 103 by Cleveland even came close to those numbers.
No. 104: Brian Brennan, WR, Boston College, 1984
Along with Webster Slaughter and Reggie Langhorn, Brennan was one of the mainstays of the Browns' receiving corps in the 1980s. He finished with 334 receptions and more than 4,300 receiving yards for his career.
No. 105: Chris Burford, SE, Stanford, 1960
Burford elected to sign with the Dallas Texans out of the AFL instead of the Browns and finished with more than 5,500 receiving yards. The only other Browns pick here at 105 to actually play in the NFL was Antonio Callaway, so, there's your reasoning for the pick.
No. 106: Luke McCown, QB, Louisiana Tech, 2004
The younger brother of Josh McCown started four games and appeared in five total as a rookie for the Browns. He spent the rest of his career as a journeyman backup with Jacksonville, Tampa Bay and New Orleans.
No. 107: Walt Sweeney, G, Syracuse, 1963
Another player who was picked in both the AFL and NFL drafts and elected to sign with the AFL team — in this case, the San Diego Chargers. Sweeney started 140 games over 11 years with the Chargers, then 27 more in two seasons with Washington.
The Browns' other pick at this spot, Andrew Stewart in 1989, had three sacks in his lone season with the team.
No. 108: Bernie Parrish, DB, Florida, 1958
Parrish was a two-time Pro Bowl defensive back in his seven-plus seasons with the Browns, which included a championship in 1964. He also had 31 career interceptions.
No. 109: Paul McDonald, QB, USC, 1980
McDonald started as Brian Sipe's backup in 1980, then finished his Browns career as Bernie Kosar's backup in 1985. He went 5-11 in 1984, his lone season as the starting quarterback in Cleveland.
No. 110: Leroy Kelly, RB, Morgan State, 1964
All due respect to Nick Chubb, but Kelly is still the second-greatest running back in Browns history. A Hall of Famer, one of two Cleveland has taken No. 110 overall (Don Shula was the other in 1951), Kelly ran for 7,274 yards in his storied career.
No. 111: Mike Howell, DB, Grambling State, 1965
Howell finished his career by playing one game with the 1972 undefeated Miami Dolphins after playing four that season for the Browns. He also had 27 career interceptions for Cleveland.
No. 112: Isaac Sowells, T, Indiana, 2006
The only player ever picked by the Browns at No. 112, Sowells played in 17 games in his NFL career.
No. 113: None
The Browns have never had pick No. 113.
No. 114: Ricardo Louis, WR, Auburn, 2016
Had 45 catches for 562 yards over two dismal seasons for the Browns in 2016-17. One of three players to be picked at this spot by Cleveland, and the most successful one of the three.
No. 115: Mike Baab, C, Texas, 1982
The literal center of the Browns' offensive lines through the 1980s. Started 107 of 114 games in two stints with Cleveland between 1982-87 and 1990-91, with a two-year run in New England in between.
No. 116: Elvis Franks, DE, Morgan State, 1980
Franks had 10.5 sacks as a depth piece at end for the Browns from 1980-84. He also played for the Raiders and Jets during his seven-year career.
No. 117: Jim Duncan, DE, Wake Forest, 1950
This was the only Browns pick at No. 117. Duncan had seven career interceptions in 44 games.
No. 118: Mark Ilgenfritz, DE, Vanderbilt, 1974
Ilgenfritz started two of the 14 games in which he appeared in his lone season in Cleveland.
Only one other player, Stan Brown in 1971, was picked here by the Browns.
No. 119: Bob Zeman, DB, Wisconsin, 1959
The AFL stole another one from the Browns here, as Zeman elected to sign with the Chargers. He finished with 17 career interceptions and was a Pro Bowler in Denver. The only two players the Browns picked here out of four to play games for them was Don Goss in 1956 and Sheldrick Redwine in 2019.
No. 120: James-Michael Johnson, LB, Nevada, 2012
Johnson's 48 career NFL games represent the only time a Browns pick at 120 played in the league. The other four never played.
No. 121: Dave Raimey, DB, Michigan, 1964
Raimey played five games in the NFL. The other two picked here played zero combined.
No. 122: Bill Contz, T, Penn State, 1983
Contz played in 63 career games in the league, including 39 with the Browns. He started nine games in four seasons in Cleveland.
No. 123: Vince Mayle, WR, Washington State, 2015
Mayle is the only one of five players picked at No. 123 to play in the NFL. He appeared in 23 career games for Dallas and Baltimore.
No. 124: Fair Hooker, WR, Arizona State, 1969
Hooker had 129 catches, 1,845 receiving yards and probably more than that many jokes made about his name. Whatever sophomoric one-liner is going through your head right now, he's probably heard it before. Other options here include Cade York in 2022 and Wali Rainer in 1999.
No. 125: Gary Lane, QB, Missouri, 1965
Lane appeared in 11 games over two seasons with the Browns.
The other two picks here played in six and zero games, respectively.
No. 126: None
The only player the Browns have selected at No. 126, Howard Wilson in 2017, never played a game in the NFL.
No. 127: Bobby Franklin, DB, Ole Miss, 1960
Franklin started 43 of 86 games in his Browns career, had 13 career interceptions and won a championship in 1964.
No. 128: None
The only player the Browns have taken at No. 128, Greg Kucera in 1972, never played a game in the NFL.
No. 129: Rob Burnett, DE, Syracuse, 1990
Burnett was a Pro Bowler for the Browns in 1994. He won a Super Bowl with the Ravens after the move in 2000 and finished with 73 career sacks over a 14-year, 202-game career.
No. 130: Henry Sheppard, G, SMU, 1976
Sheppard played in 76 games between 1976-81, starting 61 of those, mostly at left guard.
No. 131: None
The two players the Browns have taken at No. 131, Mike Wempe in 1968 and Dave Piepkorn, never played a game in the NFL.
No. 132: Tommy Togiai, DT, Ohio State, 2021
![New York Giants running back Corey Clement (30) is stopped by Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Tommy Togiai, top, and Cleveland Browns outside linebacker Elijah Lee, bottom, during the second half of an NFL preseason football game, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, in Cleveland, Ohio. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/sJzG.8s05aIfhCf_hbcVAA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTEyNzQ-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/akron-beacon-journal/1b8d7ae54560c43543482667fe8e8052)
Togiai's 18 games played in Cleveland is the most by any player the Browns have picked at 132. Dick Logan, picked in 1952, played in 19 games, but all were with Green Bay.
No. 133: None
The two players the Browns have taken at No. 133, Eric Knebel in 1955 and Bill Underdonk in 1956, never played a game in the NFL.
No. 134: Steve Cox, P, Arkansas, 1981
Cox punted in 89 NFL games between 1981-88. The other two picks here never played in the league.
No. 135: None
The three players the Browns have taken at No. 135, Bernie Custis in 1951, Jim Bobbitt in 1963 and Bobby Robinson in 1964, never played a game in the NFL.
No. 136: None
The one player the Browns have taken at No. 136, Tau Pupua in 1995, never played a game in the NFL.
No. 137: Buster Skrine, CB, Chattanooga, 2011
Skrine carved out a very nice 158-game NFL career between 2011-21. He finished with 10 career interceptions, including six during his four years in Cleveland.
No. 138: Seth Devalve, TE, Princeton, 2016
Devalve had 48 catches for 569 yards in three seasons with the Browns. He also played one season each in Jacksonville and Arizona.
No. 139: Jack Gregory, DE, Delta State, 1966
Gregory was a two-time Pro Bowler, one each with the Browns and the Giants. He finished his career with 106 sacks, which wasn't an official NFL stat at the time.
No. 140: Brandon McDonald, DB, Memphis, 2007
McDonald had five interceptions in his second season with the Browns. He had eight of his nine career picks during his three-year stint in Cleveland.
No. 141: Andra Davis, LB, Florida, 2002
Davis compiled 448 solo tackles for the Browns from 2002-08, and added 8.5 sacks and eight interceptions.
The late Michael Jackson, the early-1990s receiver, was the other option here.
No. 142: Doug Dieken, T, Illinois, 1971
Dieken is a beloved franchise figure, from his 13-year career at left tackle to his subsequent role as color commentator on the radio broadcasts for decades. Nothing else needs to be said.
No. 143: Rico Smith, WR, Colorado, 1992
Smith had 24 catches in 29 career games. The other two picks at this spot never played a game.
No. 144: Bob Brodhead, QB, Duke, 1958
Brodhead played four games, all of those for Buffalo in 1960. But that's four more NFL games played than the other four who have been drafted at this spot by the Browns.
No. 145: Jerome Harrison, RB, Washington State, 2006
Harrison captured the fans' hearts at the end of the 2009 season (his fourth in the NFL), rushing for 862 yards and five touchdowns. He finished with 1,681 yards in six seasons in the league.
No. 146: Billy Pritchett, RB, West Texas A&M, 1974
Pritchell rushed for 290 yards for his career over 29 games. Of those, 199 came in the 1975 season with the Browns.
No. 147: Mark Krerowicz, G, Ohio State, 1985
Krerowicz played three games for the Browns. The other two players selected at 147 all-time never played a single game.
No. 148: Art Graham, WR, Boston College, 1963
Graham was taken in the 11th round of the NFL Draft by the Browns in 1963, and in the first round of the AFL Draft by the Boston Patriots. Graham finished with more than 3,100 career receiving yards.
Darin Chiaverini and his 62 career catches after being picked in 1999 is the other option.
No. 149: Dave Puzzuoli, NT, Pittsburgh, 1983
Puzzuoli had 15.5 sacks in 76 career games. Two others picked at 149 never played a game in the NFL.
No. 150: Genard Avery, LB, Memphis, 2018
Avery played in 18 games and had 4.5 sacks for the Browns over a little more than one season. He was still active last season, when he played in nine games for Tampa Bay.
No. 151: Clifton McNeil, WR, Grambling State, 1962
He only had 12 catches in four years in Cleveland. However, McNeil turned into an All-Pro in San Francisco in year five and went on to catch 181 passes for his career.
No. 152: John Demarie, G, LSU, 1967
Demarie was a solid interior linemen in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He started 102 of 123 games over nine seasons with the Browns.
No. 153: Tony Fields II, LB, West Virginia, 2021
The other option with any NFL experience to consider here is Monte Ledbetter, who did the "AFL instead of NFL" route with the Houston Oilers and ended up playing 21 total games.
So Fields, with his 27 games of experience, mostly as a special-teams standout, is the selection.
No. 154: Henry Hynoski, RB, Temple, 1975
Hynoski gained 38 yards on seven carries in his 14 NFL games in 1975. It makes him the most productive 154th pick in the draft by the Browns.
No. 155: Mack Wilson, LB Alabama, 2019
That's it. That's the list of picks by the Browns at No. 155.
No. 156: Galen Fiss, LB, Kansas, 1953
Captain of the Browns' 1964 championship team, Fiss was a two-time Pro Bowler. He had 13 career interceptions over his 139-game career.
No. 157: Randy Hilliard, DB, Northwestern State (La.), 1990
Hilliard spent his first four years in a Browns uniform before playing four years in Denver and one in Chicago. He finished his career with 236 tackles, three sacks, five interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
No. 158: Terry Nugent, QB, Colorado State, 1984
Nugent played in one game for the Indianapolis Colts in 1987. He's also the one player the Browns have ever picked at No. 158.
No. 159: None
The only player selected by the Browns at this spot, Bob Voskuhl in 1951, never played in a game.
No. 160: Nick Harris, C, Washington, 2020
The injury last preseason sabotaged his opportunity to start. However, compared to the other players who have been picked at No 160, including Larry Asante in 2010 and Roderick Johnson in 2017, Harris has done well enough for himself.
No. 161: Amon Gordon, DT, Stanford, 2004
Gordon was the definition of journeyman, playing for six teams over parts of five seasons. His six games as a rookie with the Browns is the most he had with any team until he played 16 games his final season in 2011 for the Kansas City Chiefs.
No. 162: Mike Whitwell, DB, Texas A&M, 1982
Whitwell played 25 games over two seasons for the Browns and had three interceptions and a sack in 1983.
No. 163: None
The five players the Browns have picked at No. 163 never played in the NFL.
No. 164: None
The Browns have never picked at 164.
No. 165: Stephen Braggs, DB, Texas, 1987
Braggs played five seasons in Cleveland, with the last two being his most productive. He started 12 of his final 31 games with the Browns after having started one of his first 35. He also had five combined interceptions in 1990 and 1991, before moving on for two seasons in Miami.
No. 166: Ed Mitchell, G, Southern, 1964
Mitchell was the lone player the Browns picked at No. 166. However, he was also chosen by the Chargers in the AFL Draft, and settled on playing 21 career games in sunny Southern California.
No. 167: Elbert Dubenion, WR, Bluffton, 1959
The Browns drafted Dubenion when he was 26, and then released him before the season began. He spent nine seasons and 103 games catching 294 passes for nearly 5,300 yards on the shores of Lake Erie, just in Buffalo, not Cleveland.
No. 168: Gern Nagler, E, Santa Clara, 1953
Nagler was drafted by the Browns and finished his career with them. However, he actually started his career with the Chicago Cardinals, who picked him up after the Baltimore Colts — who got him in a 15-player trade from the Browns — released him.
Anyway, Nagler was a Pro Bowler for the Cardinals with 2,040 receiving yards in five seasons before spending one season in Pittsburgh. His career came full circle in 1960 when he returned to Cleveland for his final two seasons.
No. 169: Fred Robinson, G, Washington, 1955
Robinson played 12 games for the Browns in 1955. The only other option here who played in the league was Richard LeCounte III.
No. 170: Austin Seibert, K, Oklahoma, 2019
Seibert wasn't the savior at kicker that people thought he would be, but he still made 25 of his 30 field goals in 17 games with the Browns. He was also the only pick at No. 170 to actually appear in a game.
No. 171: Gerry Sullivan, OL, Illinois, 1974
A reliable backup offensive lineman for eight seasons, Sullivan played in 119 games, starting 26. He's also the only one of three picked here to play in the league.
No. 172: Rashard Higgins, WR, Colorado State, 2016
Get your cameras out for "Hollywood," the only player ever taken at 172 by the Browns. Higgins was productive during his six seasons with Cleveland, with 1,890 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
No. 173: Trey Caldwell, DB, Louisiana-Monroe, 2016
Caldwell played one game for the Browns his rookie year on special teams. That's one more than the other player picked here, Kenny Randle in 1977.
No. 174: Marcus Spriggs, DT, Troy, 1999
Spriggs played 18 games for the expansion Browns in 1999-2000. He had two sacks in 2000.
No. 175: Reggie Langhorne, WR, Elizabeth City State, 1985
Arguably the best of the Browns' receiving corps in the mid-to-late 1980s, Langhorne had 3,597 receiving yards in seven seasons with the Browns.
No. 176: Walt Sumner, DB, Florida State, 1969
Sumner moved from cornerback to safety after two seasons in Cleveland, where he spent his entire six-year career. He had 15 interceptions, which is 26th all-time in franchise history.
No. 177: Don Carey, DB, Norfolk State, 2009
Carey never played for the Browns after being released early in training camp, but was quickly snapped up by Jacksonville. After a season in Jacksonville, he ended up with Detroit, where he spent eight seasons.
No. 178: Scott Galbraith, TE, USC, 1990
He played three seasons with the Browns before going to Dallas, where he won a Super Bowl in 1993. Galbraith finished with 670 career receiving yards on 60 catches.
No. 179: None
Neither of the two players selected by the Browns at No. 179, Frank Gardner in 1962 and Bob Meehan in 1964, ever played a game in the league.
No. 180: Lawrence Vickers, FB, Colorado, 2006
Going old-school with the fullback here, but what a fullback Vickers was in his seven-year career. Vickers spent his first five years in Cleveland, developing into a solid receiver out of the backfield with 41 catches for 271 yards and three touchdowns in that time.
He spent one year each to end his career back in his home state of Texas, first in his hometown of Houston before going to Dallas.
No. 181: Willie Davis, DE, Grambling State, 1956
Davis was drafted by the Browns in 1956, but didn't play for them until 1958 due to an Army commitment. Still, he was traded before the 1960 season to the Packers, where he developed over 10 seasons into a Hall of Fame defensive lineman.
No. 182: None
Packard Harrington, the lone player picked by the Browns at this spot, never played in the NFL.
No. 183: Cody Risien, T, Texas A&M, 1979
Risien was a two-time Pro Bowler who was another long-time piece of quality offensive lines for the Browns in the 1980s.
Other than missing the 1984 season with an injury, Risien started 140 of 146 games in which he played at right tackle.
No. 184: Blane Smith, LB, Purdue, 1977
A seventh-round pick who played one game in 1977, Smith was the only player the Browns ever took at No. 184.
No. 185: Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida, 2017
Brantley had two sacks in 20 career games and is the only player to be picked at No. 185 by Cleveland.
No. 186: Clifton Geathers, DE, South Carolina, 2010
Geathers had one sack in 37 career games. No other pick made by the Browns at 186 ever played a game in the NFL.
No. 187: Eddie Johnson, LB, Louisville, 1981
Johnson had a solid 10-year career for the Browns playing alongside Clay Matthews. He finished with 148 career games and five sacks.
No. 188: Thane Gash, DB, East Tennessee State, 1988
Gash spent three seasons with the Browns, starting 32 of the 48 games in which he played. He had three interceptions for the 1989 AFC runner-up team, two of which he returned for touchdowns.
He played the 1992 season in San Francisco, his final one.
No. 189: Drew Forbes, OL, Southeast Missouri State, 2019
Charles Gaines, taken in 2015, or Forbes. Those are the options at this spot.
Forbes has played more games than Gaines, by a 13-6 margin. Forbes also finished last season on the roster, meaning there's a chance he could still add to his resume.
No. 190: Ahtyba Rubin, DL, Iowa State, 2008
You'll gladly take 100 games, 12 sacks, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, an interception and more than 300 tackles out of the 190th player taken in the draft. That's what the Browns got out of Rubin in his seven years in Cleveland — an impressive find at pick No. 190.
No. 191: James Dearth, TE, Tarleton State, 1999
There's something to being a long snapper. The expansion Browns drafted Dearth as a tight end, playing him in two games. After being released and sitting out the 2000 season, the Jets signed Dearth and made hum a long snapper, allowing him to carve out a niche in the league and play eight seasons.
No. 192: Jerry Cornelison, T, SMU, 1958
Cornelison is the only player the Browns picked at No. 192 to play in a major pro football league. The problem for the Browns is that it was with the AFL's Dallas Texans, for whom he played 70 games, including a Pro Bowl season in 1962.
No. 193: Jerry Shorter, DB, Detroit Mercy, 1962
Shorter finished his career with 15 interceptions. The problem for the Browns is that none came in his two seasons in Cleveland. Instead, they came in four season with Washington and one with the Steelers.
No. 194: None
The only player taken at No. 194 for the Browns, Terry Sieg in 1964, never played in the NFL.
No. 195: Antonio Garay, DE, Boston College, 2003
Garay played just four games as a rookie in 2003 with the Browns. After two season off, he had a career rebound with two seasons in Chicago (2006-07) and four in San Diego (2008-11). He had nine career sacks.
No. 196: None
The lone player taken at No. 196 by the Browns, Larry Zelina in 1971, never played a game in the NFL.
No. 197: Frank Conover, DT, Syracuse, 1991
Conover played four games as a rookie, including a start. He had one sack. He's also the only pick by the Browns at No. 197 to play in the league.
No. 198: Randall Telfer, TE, USC, 2015
A non-football injury cost Telfer his rookie season. He did play 30 combined games between 2016-17.
An attempted trade to the Chiefs fell through in 2018, leading the Browns to release him. He's also the only player the Browns have taken at this spot.
No. 199: Eddie Brown, DB, Tennessee, 1974
Brown developed into a two-time Pro Bowler in Washington, which is where he ended up after a season-plus with the Browns. The five-year pro had eight career interceptions.
No. 200: None
The only player taken here by the Browns, Melila Purcell in 2007, did not play in the NFL.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Browns all-time best draft picks, by pick: From 101 to 200
