10 biggest first round mistakes the Cleveland Browns have made since ’99
By Chad Porto
5. OL Cameron Erving (2015 NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 19)
It’s not fair to say Cameron Erving was a bust in his career, because while he remains unsigned, he’s still a SuperBowl winning offensive linemen. Taken in the 2015 draft, many fans hated the pick as it reminded them what the Browns passed up taking the year prior, Sammy Watkins. Erving was the prize for the draft-day trade with the Buffalo Bills. Watkins, ironically enough, just won a SuperBowl title with the Chiefs as well as Erving’s teammate in Kansas City.
While Watkins in his own right never lived up to the hype, the Browns could’ve chosen Jake Matthews in 2014 instead of trading the pick. Jake Matthews is the son of Bruce Matthews and nephew of Browns legend Clay Matthews. Losing out on Cleveland royalty is just the worst and shockingly so common. That makes this trade a double whammy.
The 2015 NFL Draft isn’t that impressive. Despite only Amari Cooper or Marcus Peters from the first-round looking like potential Hall of Famers, Erving’s pick was still a bit controversial even in hindsight.
That said, Erving is a SuperBowl winner and a consistent starter. The mistake here wasn’t just that the Browns passed up on Browns’ royalty, but that they let him go at all. Now, Erving isn’t a Pro Bowl talent, at all. That’s not a debate, yet he would’ve been super valuable in 2019 when the Browns started two men who were, at best backups and at worst undeserving of a roster spot.
In the XFL.
In the 2001 season.
Sure there were better players to take in the 2015 Draft, (Byron Jones, Landon Collins, Tyler Lockett), but the biggest mistake the Browns made was giving up on the guard.