Top 10 Reasons Why the Browns Have Failed Since 1999 – #9 Draft Woes Have Plagued Browns

Year: 1999

Number of Picks Used: 11

First Round Picks: 1 – Tim Couch, QB, 1^st overall

Second Round Picks: 2 – Kevin Johnson, WR, 32^nd overall; Rahim Abdullah, LB, 45^th overall

Third Round Picks: 2 – Daylon McCutcheon, CB, 62^nd overall; Marquis Smith, DB, 76^th overall

Pro Bowlers: None.

Longest in NFL: James Dearth, TE/LS (sixth round), 2011, 146 career games.

Longest with Browns: McCutcheon, 2005, 103 career games.

Noted: Couch was the longest-tenured of the team’s 24 starting quarterbacks, but never took an NFL regular season snap following the 2003 season finale, having played in 62 games. Couch was drafted one pick ahead of QB Donovan McNabb, who played in the NFL until 2011, made six Pro Bowls and quarterbacked in one Super Bowl. Besides Dearth and McCutcheon, only two other players selected by the Browns played in more than 100 NFL games – Johnson (101) and LB Wali Rainer (fourth round, 110).

Year: 2000

Number of Picks Used: 12

First Round Picks: 1 – Courtney Brown, DE, 1^st overall

Second Round Picks: 1 – Dennis Northcutt, WR, 32^nd overall

Third Round Picks: 2 – Travis Prentice, RB, 65^th overall; JaJuan Dawson, WR, 73^rd overall.

Pro Bowlers: None.

Longest in NFL: Northcutt, 2009, 144 career games.

Longest with Browns: Northcutt, 2006, 99 career games.

Noted: Brown only played in 61 career games – 47 with the Browns. He retired after one season with the Denver Broncos in 2005 due to injuries. Kicker Sebastian Janikowski (17^th overall, Oakland) and quarterback Tom Brady (sixth round, 199^th overall, New England) are the only members of that draft class still playing. The Browns infamously drafted QB Spergon Wynn in the sixth round, just 16 picks ahead of where Brady, a four-time Super Bowl champion, was selected.

Year: 2001

Number of Picks Used: 8

First Round Picks: 1 – Gerard Warren, DT, 3^rd overall

Second Round Picks: 1 – Quincy Morgan, WR, 33^rd overall

Third Round Picks: 1 – James Jackson, RB, 65^th overall

Pro Bowlers: None.

Longest in NFL: Warren, 2011, 163 career games.

Longest with Browns: Five players – Warren, Anthony Henry, CB (fourth round), Michael Jameson, CB (sixth round), Paul Zukauskas, G (seventh round), Andre King, WR (seventh round), 2004.

Noted: This draft class was probably together the longest in the Browns history – seven of the eight picks made the Browns and stayed with them for most of the next four seasons. This was the first draft class assembled by new head coach Butch Davis, who made a habit out of never cutting his own picks. Morgan was traded midway through the 2004 season for fellow receiver Antonio Bryant, while Jackson was released midway through 2004 and signed by Green Bay. Incoming GM Phil Savage essentially cut ties with this entire class in one fell swoop upon his hire early in 2005. The only pick to not make the team was LB Jeremiah Pharms (fifth round), who was arrested shortly after his selection and never played a down in the NFL.

Year: 2002

Number of Picks Used: 8

First Round Picks: 1 – William Green, RB, 16^th overall

Second Round Picks: 1 – Andre Davis, WR, 47^th overall

Third Round Picks: 1 – Melvin Fowler, C, 76^th overall

Pro Bowlers: None.

Longest in NFL: Andre Davis, LB (fifth round), 2011, 143 career games.

Longest with Browns: Andra Davis, 2008, 105 career games.

Noted: Green was out of the NFL by 2005, having only played in 46 career games and being a starter for two seasons. However, he helped the Browns beat the Atlanta Falcons, 24-16, in the 2002 season finale to help them clinch a playoff berth for the first (and only) time since the franchise returned. Andre Davis marked the fourth-consecutive year the Browns took a receiver in the second round. Linebacker Kevin Bentley (fourth round) also played in the NFL until 2011, but in 136 career games. He played with four other teams from 2005-11.

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