NFL Draft: Johnny Manziel, Josh Gordon and the rest of the 10 worst Browns draft picks

Memories of the best and worst Browns picks of all-time waft through the April air as another NFL draft approaches.

In another article, we ranked Cleveland's best draft picks. Today, we unveil the worst, with a quick look at some of their fascinating stories.

1. Quarterback Mike Phipps, No. 3 overall, 1970

One of Woody Hayes' worst losses at Ohio State, 41-6 in 1967, came against Phipps and the Purdue Boilermakers. In the next two years, though, Phipps lost to Ohio State 13-0 and 42-13, foreshadowing hard times in Ohio. The Miami Dolphins gave up the No. 3 pick in exchange for 27-year-old receiver Paul Warfield. Looking back, Phipps' 24-25 record wasn't abysmal, but the decision to trade Warfield was — the ex-Buckeye helped the Dolphins to Super Bowls in his first three years on the team.

2. Quarterback Johnny Manziel, No. 22 overall, 2014

Champagne bottle in one hand, money sign twitching on his fingers, Johnny Football hooked the franchise to an inflatable swan and towed it to troubled waters. Gambling on this Texas A&M Aggie set the stage for a 3-13 record in his second and final year with the team, followed by 1-15 and 0-16 in the aftermath.

3. Cornerback Justin Gilbert, No. 8 overall, 2014

The Browns gave up a fifth-round pick just to trade up from No. 9 overall to No. 8 and pick this Oklahoma State Cowboy. The next nine players selected went on to at least one Pro Bowl, including cinch Hall of Famer Aaron Donald. Gilbert had two unsettling seasons before he was traded to the Steelers for a sixth-round pick; they cut him six months later.

4. Linebacker Mike Junkin, No. 5 overall, 1987

Billed as a "mad dog in a meat market" coming out of Duke, he was gone faster than you can say Mike Krzyzewski. Marty Schottenheimer could have had one of the future defensive stars drafted in the top 10, including future Hall of Famer Rod Woodson. It was an awful mistake to fire Schotteheimer after the 1988 season, but maybe he wouldn't have been had he not tied himself to Junkin.

5. Wide receiver Josh Gordon, supplemental draft, 2012

Gordon's suspensions for "violating NFL rules" became a perpetual distraction. When available, his sometimes big stats did not translate to big winning. The 2014 team was 6-3 during one of his absences and 1-6 after he returned. The supplemental pick cost the Browns a No. 39 overall selection in the following year's regular draft. They could have landed Clevelander Travis Kelce there.

6. Defensive tackle Gerard "Big Money" Warren, No. 3 overall, 2001

New coach Butch Davis over-rode advisors and plucked Warren, a decent starting defensive tackle with dubious influence on team chemistry. The next three picks were Pro Bowl regular Justin Smith and Hall of Famers LaDainian Tomlinson and Richard Seymour. The Browns' next regime dumped Warren for a fourth-round draft pick. Running back Trent Richardson (No. 3 overall, 2012) was considered here, but he at least fetched a first-round pick when he was traded to the Colts in 2013.

7. Wide receiver Willis Adams, No. 20 overall, 1979

Billed as "The Burner," this Houston Cougar slogged to 61 receptions in seven seasons touching the Brian Sipe and Bernie Kosar eras. Overall, the '79 draft was weak, although it produced the most fortuitous selection this side of Tom Brady — quarterback Joe Montana (No. 82 overall, 49ers).

8. Linebacker Clifford Charlton, No. 21 overall, 1988

This Florida Gator never rose above the water line on Lake Erie, starting one game in two seasons and never playing again. Chris Spielman wasn't an ideal fit for the defense, but he would have found a way to help, as he did in becoming one of the better NFL linebackers for the Bills, who took him at No. 29.

9. Defensive tackle Phil Taylor, No. 21 overall, 2011

Taylor wasn't a bad player, but he was always hurt. What made this pick so injurious was the background. Had the Browns stayed at No. 6, they could have had Julio Jones or J.J. Watt. Instead they wound up with first-round picks that were spent on Taylor and, in 2012, Brandon Weeden, who could have been on this list, as well.

10. Wide receiver Steve Holden, No. 16 overall, 1973

Having traded Paul Warfield, lacking sufficient juice with Fair Hooker and Frank Pitts at the top of the receiving corps, the Browns chose the speedy Holden, Danny White's deep threat at Arizona State. Holden didn't mesh with QB Mike Phipps in three years of trying. He barely played in 1975 after the Browns brought back an aging Warfield. In a last gasp with Cincinnati in 1977, Holden had zero catches in six games.  

Notables among others considered as worst Browns draft picks

Courtney Brown (No. 1, 2000) looked good early on, almost single-handedly winning a game against Pittsburgh. Injuries ruined his career. ... Tim Couch (No. 1 overall, 1999) might have been a star, Bruce Arians said, but he got the bejabbers beaten out of him on an expansion team and left town with a 22-37 record. ... Not much was expected of quarterback Spergon Wynn (No. 183, 2000), but the developmental QB the Browns should have picked was Tom Brady (No. 199, Patriots). ... Linebacker Jeremiah Pharms' chances to be a fifth-round steal (No. 131, 2001) expired when, within days after the draft, he stole marijuana and committed assault, leading to prison. ... Ohio State linebacker Craig Powell (No. 30, 1995) played in only 14 NFL games, but he was one of two first-rounders obtained in a trade down from No. 10; the other one, made after the franchise moved to Baltimore, was spent on linebacker Ray Lewis (No. 26, 1996).

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Ranking the Cleveland Browns 10 worst NFL draft picks all-time