{"id":871202,"date":"2026-04-21T13:33:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T13:33:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/871202\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T13:33:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T13:33:46","slug":"what-the-cleveland-browns-have-done-in-the-past-with-their-2026-nfl-draft-slots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/871202\/","title":{"rendered":"What the Cleveland Browns Have Done in the Past With Their 2026 NFL Draft Slots"},"content":{"rendered":"

Past NFL Draft\u2019s are a bit like a car crash, in the sense that you just can\u2019t help taking a look back, no matter how good or awful they were.<\/p>\n

In the case of the Cleveland Browns, there\u2019s undoubtedly been a lot of awful<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Armed with nine picks over seven rounds for the 2026 NFL Draft, we look back at what Cleveland has done with those exact same slots in the past, in order to give us an idea of what kind of returns we can expect for each of the upcoming selections:<\/p>\n

6th Overall, First Round<\/p>\n

Cleveland has had this pick three times before. The first was an all-timer,<\/a> picking up the legend himself, Jim Brown, out of Syracuse back in 1953.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the same can\u2019t be said about the other two occurrences. In 2010, the Browns selected controversial tight end Kellen Winslow II, who played well during his last two seasons in Cleveland, even earning a Pro Bowl nod as an alternate, but his off-the-field persona and a staph infection — a big issue in Cleveland at the time<\/a> — led to him being traded to the Bucs. <\/p>\n

In 2013, Cleveland selected Barkevious Mingo, who managed just seven sacks in three years before being dealt to the Patriots.\u00a0<\/p>\n

24th Overall, First Round<\/p>\n

Cleveland hasn\u2019t picked here recently. You have to go back to the \u201850s, where the Browns used second-rounders on Bill Hughes (1952) and Chester Hanulak (1954). Hughes never played an NFL game, but Hanulak was part of the NFL Champion team in 1954, and the team that made the Championship Game in 1957, his only seasons played, sandwiched around two years of Air Force duty.<\/p>\n

39th Overall, Second Round<\/p>\n

Once again, we have to go way back to see Cleveland\u2019s picks at this slot, with the Browns choosing Jimmy Joe Robinson, Bob Oristaglio and Elmer Costa in the three consecutive drafts from 1950 to 1952. Oristaglio played one year for the team at defensive end, but Robinson nor Costa played for the Browns.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 1978, Cleveland invested this pick in punter Johnny Evans, who lasted just three years in the league.<\/p>\n

70th overall, Third Round<\/p>\n

The Browns have exercised this pick twice before, with Jim Prestel (1959) and Jim Ramey (1979). Prestel played one year in Cleveland but lasted eight years in the league, mainly in Minny, while Ramey was cut before the season started.<\/p>\n

107th Overall, Fourth Round<\/p>\n

Good news is Walt Sweeney became a nine-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro at guard. Bad news is he did all that for the AFL\u2019s Chargers, who selected him in their first round, while Cleveland tabbed him in the eighth, back in 1963.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The other Browns\u2019 pick at 107 is Andrew Stewart, a fourth round defensive end from 1989 who only played one season in the NFL.\u00a0<\/p>\n

146th Overall, Fifth Round<\/p>\n

Billy Pritchett actually started 13 of 14 games played for Cleveland in 1975, but he ran the ball just 75 times for 199 yards and zero TDs in his only year with the club, playing alongside Greg Pruitt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lamar Chapman was a defensive back who played eight games over two years in Cleveland.\u00a0<\/p>\n

149th Overall, Fifth Round<\/p>\n

Another unfortunate pick for Cleveland: Art Graham picked the AFL\u2019s Patriots over the Browns in \u201863, when Boston made him a first-rounder. The 1972 and 1978 picks at this slot, Leonard Forey and Al Pitts, never played a down in the NFL.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Finally, some reprieve, as the 1983 choice, nose tackle Dae Puzzuoli, played five seasons for the Browns, managing 15.5 sacks during his career.<\/p>\n

206th Overall, Sixth Round<\/p>\n

Tackle Brad Bedell, chosen in 2000 seven spots behind some guy named Tom Brady, appeared in 27 games with four starts as a Brown over two seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2024, the Browns selected linebacker Nathaniel Watson, who started one game as a rookie, but missed the entire \u201825 season due to a torn biceps.\u00a0<\/p>\n

248th Overall, Seventh Round<\/p>\n

The 1971 Draft saw linebacker Steve Casteel selected at 248 in the 10th round, but he didn\u2019t play a down in the league. In 2011, seventh round defensive back Eric Hagg was taken out of Nebraska, before playing two years with the team, with four starts over 22 appearances.<\/p>\n

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