I'm gonna rant.
I swear if a guy in a striped boater jacket, straw hat and a cane started sweet talking him into forming a marching band, Haslam would do him one better and make him the next GM.
They can't evaluate talent. That's the issue. It's not coaching, it's not a curse, it's not a lack of consistency or continuity. They cannot identify a Pro-Bowler from an NFL starter from a special teamer. It's not that the Browns draft picks flame out in Cleveland and then leave to great success. They disappear. They go away. They become color analysts by the age of 27 or terrible starters for the Houston Texans.
They manically go back and forth between drafting safe, low-reward (Jeff Faine, Brady Quinn, Phil Taylor, Brandon Weeden, Cam Erving, Danny Shelton, Kam Wimbeley) and gigantic high risks (Johnny Manziel, Justin Gilbert, Josh Gordon, Kellen Winslow, Barkevious Mingo).
They're gun-shy at QB because of TIM COUCH. That was SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO. He still haunts them, as if they can never take another quarterback higher than 22nd in the draft because TIM COUCH might re-emerge from the Kentucky hills in the form of another quarterback (He did. His name was Brandon Weeden). So we sit through Jake Delhomme, Jeff Garcia, Josh McCown, Luke McCown, Kip McCown, Kerry McCown, Kory McCown, Brian Hoyer, Doug Pederson, Colt McCoy, Seneca Wallace and Charlie Frye because TIM COUCH DIDN'T PAN OUT.
The list of 1st Round Draft Picks since they re-entered the league is astoundingly pathetic.
1999 1 Tim Couch * QB Kentucky
2000 1 Courtney Brown * DE Penn State
2001 3 Gerard Warren DT Florida
2002 16 William Green RB Boston College [23]
2003 21 Jeff Faine C Notre Dame
2004 6 Kellen Winslow II TE Miami (Florida) [24]
2005 3 Braylon Edwards WR Michigan
2006 13 Kamerion Wimbley LB Florida State [25]
2007 3 Joe Thomas OT Wisconsin [26]
22 Brady Quinn QB Notre Dame [27]
2008 — No Pick — — [27]
2009 21 Alex Mack C California [28]
2010 7 Joe Haden CB Florida
2011 21 Phil Taylor DT Baylor
2012 3 Trent Richardson RB Alabama
22 Brandon Weeden QB Oklahoma State
2013 6 Barkevious Mingo OLB Louisiana State
2014 8 Justin Gilbert CB Oklahoma State
22 Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M
2015 12 Danny Shelton DT Washington
19 Cameron Erving C Florida State
What? Two guys off this list have actually panned out? Thomas and Haden? Sheesh.