With the NFL draft now less than a week away but a majority of analysis related to this draft class completed, retrospective looks at the draft history are interesting. Earlier we covered ESPN’s look at the last decade of drafts and how each team has fared during that timeframe. Not surprisingly, the Cleveland Browns were near the bottom of the league.
While the last few years have gone much better for the team with players like Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, Nick Chubb, Jedrick Wills and Greg Newsome II, it is hard to overcome the significant, continuous busts from earlier in the decade.
While quarterbacks like Brandon Weeden and Johnny Manziel will always be the main focus, the Browns have had busts from all over the map. ESPN took a look at a few misses (subscriber, $) and tried to explain why they happened. Not surprisingly, two of Cleveland’s picks made the list:
Justin Gilbert, CB (No. 8 in 2014)
What he was supposed to be: A shutdown corner with length and quickness
What he became: The classic NFL bust
In attempting to explain how things went wrong, outside of a quick note about a drinking concern, notes about maturity and drive came up. His college coach had some pre-draft concerns:
Former Oklahoma State defensive backs coach Van Malone told teams during the pre-draft process that Gilbert needed direction and a strong support system. When Gilbert told Malone about his turbulent rookie year in Cleveland, Malone admitted he might have treated him like a kid sometimes. The NFL won’t do that, he reminded him — it’ll just fine you instead.
Gilbert wasn’t the lone Brown to make the list, however, as Cameron Erving also was present. Different that Gilbert, Erving wasn’t “the classic NFL bust” but instead was “just” a solid player in the NFL. This time, the blame was primarily placed on the team:
“He never really got to settle down in one spot,” an AFC executive said. “Cleveland probably wasn’t the best spot for him. Too much transition there. There were some toughness questions, but he could have overcome those.”
While Trent Richardson, Weeden or Manziel may be more exciting names, Gilbert and Erving are two interesting cases among a very interesting group of names reviewed in the article. While either player may have been more successful with a different organization, their failings can’t be placed on the Browns alone.
What Browns draft pick that didn’t live up to the hype is most surprising/interesting to you?