Cleveland Browns Redraft:2000
As personal therapy for being a Cleveland Browns fan, I’m attempting to sooth the anguish of the first few years of the return of my team to the NFL in 1999. I decided to play fantasy General Manager and go back in tiime to redo the Browns disastrous drafts that were a big part of the cause of the team’s failure to win. Previously, I redid their 1999 draft. Now let’s move on to year two and reexamine the 2000 draft. As stated in the first post, the Browns gain an additional first and third round pick this year to complete the Saints draft trade to acquire Ricky Williams. With that, let’s begin:
2000 Redraft
Round 1: T Chris Samuels
Original pick: DE Courtney Brown. The first overall pick that year, Brown came in with much promise. He had a good rookie year, totalling 70 tackles and 4.5 sacks. However, he had problems staying healthy the rest of his career. Cleveland released him after the 2004 season, where he signed with Denver, who released him after being on injured reserve in 2007. He never topped 41 tackles in a season since his rookie year, and matched or exceeded his rookie sack total only twice the remainder of his career.
Chris Samuels, originally chosen third overall by the Redskins, became an instant starter. He started every games he’s played in, and missed a total of four games due to injury over the past eight years. He’s also a 5-time Pro Bowl selection (2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007). Which of the two do you think has a better career? It’s also interesting to note that over the last two redrafts, three offensive lineman taken currently start for the Redskins (Jansen, Thomas, and Samuels).
Round 1: MLB Brian Urlacher
Original pick: none (via NO).Urlacher became an instant starter his rookie season, starting 14 of 16 games. Outside of missing seven games in 2004 due to injuries, Urlacher has started every game since he became the primary Middle Linebacker. He was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and selected to the Pro Bowl every year except his injury year in 2004 and 2007 (6 times).
Round 2: FS Mike Brown
Original pick: WR Dennis Northcutt.Northcutt was with Cleveland until 2006, then signed with Jacksonville. Known more as a kick returner, his career receiving averages are 40 receptions, 505 yards, 2 touchdowns.
Mike Brown began the 2000 season as the Bear’s starting Free Safety, recorded the second most tackles on the team that year, and finished second (to Brian Urlacher) in NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year balotting. He started all but one game until 2004, when he injured his Achilles in the second game of the season. He returned in 2005, but missed the last four games with an injury. He’s missed most of the past two seasons with injures. Brown was elected to the Pro Bowl in 2005.
Round 3: WR Laveranues Coles
Original pick: RB Travis Prentice.Prentice had a good rookie year, rushing for 512 yards and seven touchdowns, and nabbed 37 catches for 191 yards and one touchdown. He then spent 2001 in Minnesota where he ran for a total of 13 yards. He was in Arizona for 2002 but never played. In 2003, he was gone from the league.
Coles became the starting Wide Receiver for the Jets his second year in the league. He started every game from 2001 to 2006, averaging 81 receptions, 1038 yards, and 5 touchdowns. In 2007, he missed more than four games with injuries, and still totalled 55 receptions, 646 yards and 7 touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl in 2004.
Round 3: DT Alvin McKinley
Original pick: none (via NO).McKinley didn’t do much early on in his career. He signed with Cleveland as a free agent in 2001, but didn’t see significant playing time until 2004. From 2004 to 2006, he averaged 55 tackles and 3 sacks a season. He signed with Denver as a free agent in 2007.
Round 3: DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila
Original pick: WR JaJuan Dawson.Dawson spent four years in the NFL, the first two in Cleveland. Career totals are 52 receptions, 664 yards, 2 touchdowns. Gbaja-Biamila has become known as a pass-rushing machine. His yearly sack totals since 2001 are 13.5, 12, 10, 13.5, 8, 6, 9.5. That’s nearly 10.5 sack a year, and he made the Pro Bowl in 2003 because of it. The last two years he’s become more of a pass-rushing specialist as opposed to an every-down defensive end.
Round 4: WR Dante Hall
Original pick: DB Lewis Sanders.Sanders played five years in Cleveland, starting nine games over that span and netting four interceptions. He then spent two years with the Texans, one year in Altanta, and is now on the Patriots roster. Hall is known more for being a kick returner than a wide receiver. He made the Pro Bowl in 2002 and 2003 as a special teams player. He also holds the NFL record in 2003 for returing a kickoff or punt for a touchdown four games in a row.
Round 4: OLB Adalius Thomas
Original pick: TE Aaron Shea.Shea played six years with the Browns and spent 2006 with the Chargers, but never playing with them. His six-year career totals would make a good single season: 97 catches, 851 yards, 7 touchdowns. For the first four years of his career, Thomas filled the role of backup Libebacker and Special Teams player, making the Pro Bowl in 2003 for Special Teams. 2004 was his break-out year, amassing 72 tackles and eight sacks. For the last four years, he’s averaging nearly 80 tackles and nine sacks a season. He also made the Pro Bowl in 2006 as a linebacker.
Round 5: DT Rob Meier
Original pick: DB Anthony Malbrough.Malbrough played only one year in Cleveland, seeing action in nine games and starting one. Meier is a solid defensive tackle, averaging 26.5 tackles and 2.5 sacks a season.
Round 5: QB Tom Brady
Original pick: DB Lamar Chapman.Chapman was with the Browns for two years, seeing action in eight games. Its hard to believe Brady didn’t get drafted until late in the sixth round. He became the starter after Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury in the second game of 2001, Brady’s second year. Since then, he’s gone to four Pro Bowls, led the Patriots to four Super Bowls (winning three of them), voted Super Bowl MVP twice, and was voted league MVP in 2007. This past season, he broke the record for most TD passes by a quarterback (50), had 4,806 yards passing (third all-time), and a passer rating of 117.2 (second all-time). 31 teams are kicking themselves over this oversight.
Round 6: TE Jermaine Wiggins
Original pick: QB Spergon Wynn.Wynn started one game in 2000 and played in six others. His career wrapped up in 2001 with three games played for the Vikings. Wiggins went undrafted and played mostly a backup Tight End role with New England, Indianapolis and Carolina for four years. His best statistical year was 2004 with Minnesota, when he made 71 catches for 707 yards and four touchdowns.
Round 6: SS Mike Green
Original pick: T Brad Bedell. Bedell played two years with the Browns, starting four games in 2001. He then played in four games with the Packers in 2004, and nine with the Texans in 2006. “Mr. Irrelevant” in 2000, Green became the Bears starting Strong Safety by 200. until becoming a backup in early 2005. He then went to Seattle, where he’s struggled with injuries.
Round 7: DE Adewale Ogunleye
Original pick: OL Manuia Savea. Savea never made it out of training camp. Ogunleye was undrafted and signed with the Dolphins in 2000, but sat out while recovering from a knee injury suffered during his senior season at Indiana. He became a starter in 2002 and recorded 9.5 sacks. The following year, he led the league with 15 sacks. He was traded to Chicago the following year, and has averaged 7.5 sacks a year as a Bear.
Round 7: FB Dan Kreider
Original pick: DE Eric Chandler. Chandler never made it out of training camp. Kreider signed with Pittsburgh after being undrafted. He became the starting Fullback in 2000, and maintained that role until 2007. Never much of a ball handler, Kreider is known for his bone-crushing blocks.
Round 7: G Brian Waters
Original pick: DB Rashidi Barnes. Barnes was on the team for one season, then released. Unudrafted, Kansas City signed Waters as a free agent in 2000. He became a starter midway through 2001, and has missed two games since then. He was elected to the Pro Bowl in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
2000 Redraft Summary
With 13 pciks, the Browns originally drafted the following positions:
- two defensive ends (2)
- two wide receivers (4)
- one running back (5)
- four defensive backs (9)
- one tight end (10)
- one quarterback (11)
- two offensive linemen (13)
Of those 13 players, two never made it on a final roster, four more were out of the league within two years, and two others gone within four. That leaves five players that had careers lasting at least six years. Of those five, no one made a significant impact with any team they played on. its safe to say this draft class was a complete bust. That’s two years in a row of wasted picks.
With 15 picks in the redraft (two additional from the 1999 trade with New Orleans), we take:
- two offensive linemen (2)
- two linebackers (4)
- two safeties (6)
- two wide receivers (8)
- two defensive tackles (10)
- two defensive ends (12)
- one quarterback (13)
- one tight end (14)
- one fullback (15)
So I basically matched the positions, and addressed the defensive front seven with the two extra picks and picking two less DBs. My 15 picks are all still in the league, although a couple are battling cronic injuries. I also nabbed six multi-time Pro Bowlers, and four others that have made at least one trip to Honolulu. This draft crop was a gold mine of talent late in the draft that year with two undrafted Pro Bowlers and Brady available until pick #199. With these first two new drafts, the Browns would have had the best offensive line and defensive front seven in the NFL, arguably the best QB in the game today, and a solid receiving corp, defensive backfield, and special teams. This team should have begun turning things around by the third season. Next, we look at the 2001 draft.
