The Cleveland Browns have no shortage of busts in their history. This list could be filled with just quarterbacks. As many quarterbacks who have been busts for the Browns, there are plenty of other picks from other positions that were dreadful.
Let's breakdown the five biggest NFL Draft busts in Browns history.
5. Brandon Weeden, 2012, 1st Round, Pick 22
When the Browns selected Brandon Weeden in the first round of the 2012 draft, it already had bust written all over it, but they still selected him. Weeden was already 28 when the Browns drafted him; after a failed baseball career set him back a few years.
In his first start with the Browns he threw four interceptions. After that disaster, the grass never turned greener. He started 20 games over two seasons with the Browns before the team decided to move on from him.
4. Bobby Garrett, 1954, 1st Round, Pick 1
Coming out of college, Bobby Garrett was considered the best quarterback in the 1954 draft class, but his potential never came to fruition. Only six months after being drafted, the Browns shipped him to the Green Bay Packers because Garrett suffered from a stutter that made it tough to call plays in the NFL.
The Browns received quarterback Babe Parilli back in the trade — who never amounted to much in the NFL either. That was just the start of terrible quarterback picks by the Browns.
3. Johnny Manziel, 2014, 1st Round Pick 22
Johnny Manziel brought a large spotlight when he joined the Browns, but that wasn't a good thing for the NFL. Manziel was a fan favorite, but that didn't result in good results on the field.
In two seasons with the Browns, he played in 15 games, starting only eight games. He was the center of a domestic violence investigation and in March of 2016 the team moved on from him. Manziel tried a couple of comebacks, including through the CFL, but he never made it back to the NFL.
2. Justin Gilbert, 2014, 1st Round, Pick 8
The last ten years, the Browns haven't hit on many first-round draft picks and it wasn't any different in 2014 with their eighth pick. The Browns selected Justin Gilbert. Joe Haden was on one side of the field and Gilbert was expected to line up on the other and lock down the secondary.
There were a lot of good picks made in the top ten of the 2014 draft, with Gilbert being the worst one. Gilbert only made three starts with the Browns in two years, then the team decided to move on after.
1. Mike Junkin, 1987, 1st Round, Pick 5
The Browns needed to hit on their 1987 first-round draft pick because they had dreams of winning the championship. Instead of hitting on the draft pick, they struck out big time, and it could be one of the main reasons they weren't able to finish the job.
Junkin projected to be a starting linebacker as a rookie, but he struggled so much during training camp he lost his job before the season even started.
The Browns coaching staff still had hope in Junkin and continued to run him out there when they probably shouldn't have.
Follow Us
Subscribe