The Cleveland Browns draft classes from the 2012, 2013, and 2014 NFL Drafts are considered by Sports illustrated as three of the 10 worst.
Sports Illustrated listed the ten worst draft classes in Cleveland Browns’ history and what fans may not realize is that three of those ten happened in back-to-back-to-back seasons. The 2012, 2013, and 2014 NFL Drafts all make the list for being three of the ten worst ever. Looking at the names in those, it’s easy to see why.
Those three drafts single handily killed any momentum or opportunities the Pat Shurmur and Rob Chudzinski Browns could’ve mustered. It single-handily set up the 1-15 and 0-16 teams that followed in 2016 and 2017 and featured some all-time great busts.
So let’s look at who ended up being the worst of the worst from those draft classes.
These are the seven worst drafted players the Browns took from 2012 to 2014.
7. Leon McFadden (Round 3, Pick 68 of 2013 NFL Draft
When you’re a third-round pick, you’re not expected to do much more than start, and maybe be a long-time bench guy. The expectations aren’t high, and the floor is pretty deep. Yet, despite being a third-round pick, Leon McFadden an inexpensive player heading into his season was so bad that the Browns cut him. If cutting an affordable bench player with no expectations other than “don’t suck” doesn’t tell you how bad he is, then nothing will.
6. Terrance West (Round 3, Pick 94 of 2014 NFL Draft)
There was actually hype around Terrance West when he got drafted, as the fans expected him and Isaiah Crowell to revive the Browns rushing attack. Another third-round draft pick, this time out of Towson, West failed to generate enough attention or fanfare with those in charge and like McFadden, was off the team after just a single season.
5. Brandon Weeden (Round 1, Pick 22 of 2012 NFL Draft)
Yes, Brandon Weedon was a first-rounder out of Oklahoma State and yeah, he was a bust, but come on, he was 29 when he was drafted. What did anyone really expect? The Chris Weinke of his era, Weeden came into the league with a dynamic arm but struggled with accuracy. Weeden carried a career completion percentage of 58% and had 31 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. Weeden was released just two years into his time with Cleveland. His best season wasn’t even Cleveland but split across Dallas and Houston where he went 1-3 as a starter, with 69% of his passes being completed, 1,043 yards passing, five touchdowns, and two interceptions.
4. Justin Gilbert (Round 1, Pick 8 of 2014 NFL Draft)
Another Oklahoma State star, Justin Gilbert came into the league with a lot of hype, and the Browns hoped to pair Gilbert with Pro Bowl standout Joe Haden. Whether it was a poor attitude, poor production, a lack of desire, or something else, Gilbert failed to live up to his lofty position. Gilbert will forever go down as a bust, and even a stint in Pittsburgh couldn’t revive his career. The worst part? The next nine players taken after him all went to the Pro Bowl and one of them, Aaron Donald, is on his way to Canton.
3. Trent Richardson (Round 1, Pick 3 of 2012 NFL Draft)
This one hurts because Trent Richardson had everything you’d want in a pro player. He was quick, powerful, hungry, and a good teammate. He just had the worst vision and spatial awareness in the history of sports. Richardson was able to hide that glaring error in his rookie year, rushing for 938 yards and 11 touchdowns, but his yards-per-carry was a horrid 3.6. (Nick Chubb’s career YPC is 5.2 for comparison). Richardson would go on to the Colts (where he was cut) and eventually to the AAF, where he’d 11 more touchdowns. His YPC in the AAF was just 2.9, however. Richardson could probably still play in the NFL but as a fullback and short-yardage back but his selection as the third overall pick in the 2012 draft will more than likely keep that from ever happening.
2. Barkevious Mingo (Round 1, Pick 8 of 2013 NFL Draft)
In Barkevious Mingo’s defense, the 2013 NFL Draft sucked. He’s also still in the league as a special team’s player. Yet, when you’re a top ten pick in the NFL, still in the league or not seven years later as a bench player is bad. For some reason, he keeps getting gigs, despite his rookie season being his best of his career. What makes the Mingo picked often forgotten about is that there wasn’t anyone that the Browns really missed on. Sure, there was current Browns player Sheldon Richardson, but he’s been a disappointment in his career. There’s a bunch of tackles and tight ends later on in the draft but the Browns didn’t need those in 2013. They had Pro Bowl TE Jordan Cameron and two All-Pro, future Hall of Famers in Joe Thomas and Mitchell Schwartz
1. Johnny Manziel (Round 1, Pick 22 of 2014 NFL Draft)
Johnny Manziel was supposed to be the difference-maker. The ultra-athletic and hypermobile quarterback made a name for himself at Texas A&M with his ability to improvise and make plays happen. While he showed flashes of that in Cleveland, the only thing he improvised was new ways to get in trouble. Unlike everyone else on this list, after Manziel got cut from the Browns, no other NFL team took a chance on him. He’s had stints in the AAF and CFL but hasn’t been able to stick. He’s only going to be 28 and if he’s still in shape may get a shot with the new XFL. If he can keep his head on straight that is.