Cleveland Browns: Greatest 15 first-round NFL Draft picks of all time

SAN DIEGO - SEPTEMBER 25: Full back Mike Pruitt #43 of the Cleveland Browns follows his blocker center Robert Jackson #68 during a game against the San Diego Chargers at Jack Murphy Stadium on September 25, 1983 in San Diego, California. The Browns won 30-24 in overtime. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) /

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5. Doug Atkins, DE

Few Browns fans will remember Doug Atkins, mainly because his hey day was spent with the Chicago Bears.

The Browns traded the defensive end two years after making him the 11th pick of the 1953 NFL Draft.

Still, he was a draft pick of the organization and Paul Brown should be credited with brining him to Cleveland, although criticizing the team’s founder would be fair too, since he gave up on him too early.

Atkins was traded for a third- and sixth-round pick in the 1955 draft. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in eight of his nine seasons with Chicago, and was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982.

While Atkins goes down in history as one of the Browns’ best draft picks, he also goes down as one of the worst trades.

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