Cleveland Browns: 5 worst NFL Drafts since 1999 ranked

5. 2001

In 2001, armed with the third pick in the draft, the Cleveland Browns selected Florida defensive tackle Gerard Warren, aka “Big Money”. Unfortunately, Warren didn’t live up to his draft stock, or his nickname while wearing a Cleveland uniform.

Keep in mind, the Browns invested heavily in luring Butch Davis away from “The U.” However, in selecting Warren, the Browns also missed out on the arguably the best skill-position player of the era in LaDanian Tomlinson. The guy was fantasy platinum.

Chris Palmer’s staff reportedly really loved LT, and the Texas Christian product would’ve been the pick had Palmer not been removed.

The offensive player Davis favored was receiver David Terrell, who ended up with the Bears. On defense, it came down to Richard Seymour and Warren.

Warren totaled 16.5 sacks for the Browns and 27 tackles for a loss in his four-year Browns career. Seymour was a seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro stalwart on three Super Bowl winning Patriots teams in the early 2000s.

We know how Davis’ first draft turned out, and of course, we know how the rest of his Browns’ career faired.

Davis got his receiver, Quincy Morgan in the second round, as that pick also went bust. In the third round, Davis picked someone familiar with him in Miami’s James Jackson. Jackson would be a serviceable back-up running back.

The best pick of the draft came in the fourth round, when Cleveland selected Anthony Henry. The corner intercepted 10 passes in his rookie campaign. He only totaled seven in years two through seven, though, and he didn’t get a second contract.

Dallas paid handsomely for Henry, who retired after the 2009 season with 31 career picks. To this day, he’s probably the most accomplished corner the Browns have picked, although Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams are hoping to change history.