Cleveland Browns

The list of players the Browns could have drafted since 2010 is mindblowing

Published Feb. 10, 2016 10:00 a.m. ET

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The Cleveland Browns have been known to butcher a draft or two, or 10. Their list of first-round busts since 1999 is littered with names like Courtney Brown, Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden.

Looking back at the Browns' most recent drafts prior to 2015 is enough to make any Cleveland fan's head spin -- not for their own terrible picks, but also for the players they could've had. While no one can blame the Browns for not selecting Antonio Brown in 2010 (after all, every NFL team passed on him at least a handful of times until Pittsburgh nabbed him in the sixth round), the talent that Cleveland missed out on from 2010 to 2014 is absolutely mindblowing.

Imagine a Browns team with Rob Gronkowski or Jimmy Graham at tight end with Odell Beckham and DeAndre Hopkins on the outside catching passes from Russell Wilson, who also has Le'Veon Bell lined up behind him in the backfield. Believe it or not, it could've been.

We'll begin with the disaster that was the 2014 draft. Since it wouldn't be fair to the Browns' war rooms for not reaching for picks in later rounds, we'll only count draftees that came off the board before the Browns' next pick. Additionally, we'll only focus on the first three rounds since the later rounds are virtually a crapshoot.

2014

Factory of Sadness - 2014 Draft

When the Browns drafted...	They could've drafted...
No. 8: Justin Gilbert, CB	No. 12: Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Giants
	No. 13: Aaron Donald, DT, Rams
	No. 15: Ryan Shazier, LB Steelers
	No. 16: Zack Martin, G, Cowboys
	No. 17: C.J. Mosley, LB, Ravens
No. 22 Johnny Manziel, QB	No. 28: Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Panthers
	No. 32: Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Vikings
No. 35: Joel Bitonio, G	No. 36, Derek Carr, QB, Raiders
	No. 42: Jordan Matthews, WR, Eagles
	No. 55: Jeremy Hill, RB, Bengals
	No. 61: Allen Robinson, WR, Jaguars
	No. 63: Jarvis Landry, WR, Dolphins
No. 71: Christian Kirksey, LB	No. 91: John Brown, WR, Cardinals
	No. 92: Trai Turner, G, Panthers
No. 94: Terrance West, RB	No. 103: Devonta Freeman, RB, Falcons
	No. 118: Martavis Bryant, WR, Steelers

As tempting as it would be to go back in time and select Beckham, the Browns would've been better off with Donald in the first round and either Allen Robinson or Jarvis Landry in the third round.

2013

Factory of Sadness - 2013 Draft

When the Browns drafted...	They could've drafted...
No. 6: Barkevious Mingo, OLB	No. 13: Sheldon Richardson, DT, Jets
	No. 20: Kyle Long, G, Bears
	No. 21: Tyler Eifert, TE, Bengals
	No. 27: DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Texans
No. 39: Josh Gordon, WR (2012 supplemental pick)	No. 44: Kawann Short, DT, Panthers
	No. 48: Le'Veon Bell, RB, Steelers
	No. 61: Eddie Lacy, Packers
	No. 63: Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs
No. 68: Leon McFadden, CB	No. 69: Tyrann Mathieu, DB, Cardinals
	No. 76: Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers
	No. 85: Jordan Reed, TE, Redskins

DeAndre Hopkins had a remarkable 2015 season, even with Brian Hoyer at quarterback. And wouldn't it be great for Browns fans if Le'Veon Bell was in Cleveland instead of Pittsburgh?

2012

Factory of Sadness - 2012 Draft

When the Browns drafted...	They could've drafted...
No. 3: Trent Richardson, RB	No. 8: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Dolphins
	No. 9: Luke Kuechly, LB, Panthers
	No. 11: Dontari Poe, DT, Chiefs
	No. 12: Fletcher Cox, DT, Eagles
	No. 21: Chandler Jones, DE, Patriots
No. 22: Brandon Weeden, QB	No. 24: David DeCastro, G, Steelers
	No. 29: Harrison Smith, S, Vikings
	No. 31: Doug Martin, RB, Buccaneers
No. 37: Mitchell Schwartz, RT	No. 45: Alshon Jeffery, WR, Bears
	No. 47: Bobby Wagner, LB, Seahawks
	No. 58: Lavonte David, LB, Buccaneers
	No. 75: Russell Wilson, QB, Seahawks
No. 87: John Hughes, DT	No. 92: T.Y. Hilton, WR, Colts
	No. 97: Lamar Miller, RB, Dolphins

How different would things be with Russell Wilson leading the way on offense and Luke Kuechly anchoring the defense?

2011

Factory of Sadness - 2011 Draft

When the Browns drafted...	They could've drafted...
No. 21: Phil Taylor, DT	No. 24: Cameron Jordan, DE, Saints
	No. 27: Jimmy Smith, CB, Ravens
	No. 28: Mark Ingram, RB, Saints
	No. 30: Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, Jets
	No. 35: Andy Dalton, QB, Bengals
No. 37: Jabaal Sheard, LB	No. 58: Torrey Smith, WR, Ravens
No. 59: Greg Little, WR	No. 64: Randall Cobb, WR, Packers
	No. 70: Justin Houston, OLB, Chiefs
	No. 71: DeMarco Murray, RB, Cowboys
	No. 77: Jurrell Casey, DT, Titans

Justin Houston and Muhammad Wilkerson would've solved the Browns' pass rush woes.

2010

Factory of Sadness - 2010 Draft

When the Browns drafted...	They could've drafted...
No. 7: Joe Haden	No. 14: Earl Thomas, S, Seahawks
	No. 15: Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, Giants
	No. 17: Mike Iupati, G, 49ers
	No. 18: Maurkice Pouncey, C, Steelers
	No. 22: Demaryius Thomas, WR, Broncos
	No. 24: Dez Bryant, WR, Cowboys
No. 38: T.J. Ward, S	No. 42: Rob Gronkowski, TE, Patriots
	No. 54: Carlos Dunlap, DE, Bengals
	No. 55: Sean Lee, LB, Cowboys
No. 59: Montario Hardesty, RB	No. 60: Golden Tate, WR, Seahawks
	No. 82: Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Steelers
No. 85: Colt McCoy, QB	No. 87: Eric Decker, WR, Broncos
	No. 91: NaVorro Bowman, LB, 49ers
No. 92: Shawn Lauvao, OT	No. 95: Jimmy Graham, TE, Saints
	No. 100: Everson Griffen, DE, Vikings
	No. 120: Geno Atkins, DT, Bengals

Top-tier corners don't grow on trees, so you can't fault the selection of Haden here despite his disappointing 2015. Imagine if any team was smart enough to grab Gronk and Graham. The Patriots had the best shot, but they selected receiver Taylor Price five picks ahead of Graham, and then took Aaron Hernandez in the fourth round.

The Browns' record since 2010 is 28-68. If they hit on even 50 percent of their picks since then, they'd probably be a playoff team at minimum.

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