CLEVELAND — The 2021 NFL Draft is here. Cleveland takes center stage. With all the hype, can Browns and Bengals fans expect production from AFC North rivals pick opening night?
History says, maybe.
The Browns and Bengals have combined for six top-five picks since 2011 and more top-10 picks. When it comes to top-overall picks, fans can be pretty confident with the results of Myles Garrett, Baker Mayfield and Joe Burrow, despite some singular down years and injuries.
However, no highly-touted recruit is a sure thing.
The Bengals have been on both ends of success and failure with top-10 picks. Cincinnati got a decade of success from No. 4 pick AJ Green, but was never able to truly find a solidified role for No. 9 pick John Ross III.
Meanwhile, ignoring the Browns’ quarterback woes pre-Baker, the Dawg Pound still had the Trent Richardson experience, picking the Alabama running back third overall, who was later out of the league after four seasons. Luckily for the Browns, they got a first-round pick in a trade for him. Unluckily, Cleveland used that pick on Justin Gilbert at eighth overall in 2014. Gilbert, himself was out of the league after three seasons.
The Bengals have a top-five pick for just the third time since 2011, sitting in the fifth spot. The Browns, meanwhile, sit at No. 26, their lowest pick since 1995.
Cincinnati sees a need at the offensive line, which has received criticism for the past few years, but specifically with the lack of protection for Burrow. Fans in The Jungle may not be surprised to see Burrow reunite with former LSU teammate, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, if the Bengals take what many consider to be the possible best available player.
Cleveland does not appear to have a glaring hole on its roster, but nonetheless every team can improve. The Browns’ positions with room for improvements is largely on the defensive side at cornerback and linebacker.
No team has a crystal ball on what a player will develop to be in the future, but history allows a look back to enjoy the successes, or cringe at the failures of past picks as fans hope for the next MVP to be drafted to their favorite team.
Here are the first-round picks for the Browns and Bengals for the past decade:
Cleveland Browns
First Round Picks Since 2011
2011 – Phil Taylor, DT, Baylor – Pick 21
Taylor played for the Browns from 2011-2014. He started all 16 games for Cleveland in 2011 finishing with 59 tackles, 4 sacks and 1 forced fumble. In 2014, his last active season in the NFL, Taylor played in just five games. He then was signed by the Denver Broncos and Washington, but injuries prevented him from ever playing again.
2012 – Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama – Pick 3
Richardson played for the Browns in 2012 and for two games in 2013. In 2012, Richardson rushed and received for a combined 1,317 and 12 touchdowns and had just 3 fumbles. The performance was good enough to land the Browns a 2014 first-round pick from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for Richardson shortly into the 2013 season. His career faltered in Indy, and in February, Richardson signed with the Caudillos de Chihuahua of the Mexican American Football League.
2012 – Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma St. – Pick 22
Drafted at 28 years old, the oldest first-round draft pick in NFL history, Weeden started all 15 games he played in his rookie year, going 5-10 with 14 touchdowns and 17 interceptions and being sacked 28 times. He went 0-5 in the games he started in 2013. He then made appearences for the Dallas Cowboys in 2014, and made his final NFL game appearence with the Houston Texans in 2018, playing in one game.
2013 – Barkevious Mingo, LB, LSU – Pick 6
Mingo played for the Browns from 2013-2015. He played in 15 games in both of his first two seasons and 16 in his third. In his rookie year, Mingo had 42 tackles and 5 sacks. In 2020, Mingo played in 16 games for the Chicago Bears recording 35 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He recently signed with the Atlanta Falcons, his sixth team in six years since leaving the Browns.
2014 – Justin Glibert, CB, Oklahoma St. – Pick 8
Gilbert played for the Browns from 2014-2015, playing in 14 games his rookie season and nine the next year. He had 29 tackles, 1 interception and 1 touchdown in his rookie year. He played his third season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, appearing in 12 games and making 3 tackles. He was released by the Steelers and suspended for a year for violation of the league’s substance policy. He never signed with another team.
2014 – Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M – Pick 22
“Johnny Football” appeared in five games during his rookie year, and lost both of the games he was named the starter. He had no touchdowns and 2 interceptions. In his second season, Manziel played in nine games, starting six and compiling a 2-4 record. He finished with 7 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He then had stints in the Canadian Football League and the American Arena League. In February, Manziel played in the new Fan Controlled Football league, playing for the Zappers.
2015 – Danny Shelton, DT, Washington – Pick 12
Shelton played for the Browns from 2015-2017. He played in all 16 games in both of his first two seasons and 14 in his third. He started all but one game he played in. He then spent two years with the New England Patriots and spent 2020 with the Detroit Lions where he strted all 12 games he played in. He recently signed a one-year contract with the New York Giants.
2015 – Cameron Erving, OL, Florida St. – Pick 19
Erving played for the Browns from 2015-2016, playing in 16 games as a rookie and starting all 13 games he played in during his second year. He then moved to the Kansas City Chiefs, including being on the roster for the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV chamionship team. After a year with the Dallas Cowboys, he recently signed an $8 million deal with the Carolina Panthers. Erving has only played in all 16 games in a season once, and never started more than 13.
2016 – Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor – Pick 15
Coleman played for the Browns from 2016-2017, where he played in 10 and nine games, respectively. In 2018, he demanded a trade and was sent to the Buffalo Bills, who released him prior to the 2018 season. After an offseason stint with the Patriots, he was signed by the New York Giants, where he played in eight games. He then suffered an ACL injury causing him to miss the 2019 season. He resigned with the Giants in 2020 but was released in September. He was signed to the practice squad and then released. He is currently a free agent, and received a six-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
2017 – Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M – Pick 1
Garrett is still playing for the Browns after being the first-overall pick in the 2017 draft. Garrett started in nine of the 11 games he played in 2017, totaling 31 tackles, 7 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. In 2020, Garrett was selected to the Pro Bowl and named a First-Team All-Pro selection with 48 tackles, 12 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.
2017 – Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan – Pick 25
Peppers played for the Browns from 2017-2018, starting all 29 games he appeared in during the two seasons. He was then part of the trade, along with a 2019 first-round draft pick and 2019 third-round draft pick to the Giants for Odell Beckham, Jr. He has started 25 of the 26 games he’s appeared in for the Giants.
2017 – David Njoku, TE, Miami (FL) – Pick 29
Njoku is still playing for the Browns after being drafted in the 2017 draft. He played in all 16 games in his rookie year, scoring 4 touchdowns and averaging 24.1 yards per catch. In 2020, he started five of the 13 games he appeared in for Cleveland. He scored 2 touchdowns in 2020 and avered 16.4 yards per catch.
2018 – Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma – Pick 1
Mayfield is still playing for the Browns and has solidified his role as QB1 since being drafted in 2018 with the first-overall pick. Mayfield started 13 of the 14 games he appeared in his rookie season and has since started every game for the Browns. He has passed for more than 3,500 yard in each of his three seasons. He also led the Browns to a playoff win in 2020 against the Steelers. The Browns recently exercised their fifth-year option for Mayfield.
2018 – Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio St. – Pick 4
Ward is still playing for the Browns. He made an immediate impact in Cleveland, being named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie with 53 tackles and 3 interceptions. In 2020, Ward had 48 tackles, 18 passes deflected, 2 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery.
2019 – No First Round Pick
Part of the Odell Beckham, Jr. trade.
2020 – Jedrick Willis Jr., OL, Alabama – Pick 10
Willis Jr. made an immediate impact for the Browns in 2020, starting all but one game during his rookie season. After playing 100% of the snaps in the Browns playoff win versus the Steelers, Willis Jr. injured his ankle on the first offensive snap of the Browns’ second-round game versus the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cincinnati Bengals
First Round Picks Since 2011
2011 – AJ Green, WR, Georgia – Pick 4
Green was an immediate impact player for the Bengals, totaling more than 1,000 receiving yards in six of his first seven seasons while on his way to being named to the Pro Bowl in seven consecutive seasons. Injuries became a problem for Green, playing in just nine games in 2018 and missing the 2019 season. Green appeared in all 16 games in the 2020 season, but managed just more than 500 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns as a younger receiving core pushed him out of the spotlight. He recently signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals.
2012 – Dre Kirkpatrick, DB, Alabama – Pick 17
Kirkpatrick played for the Bengals from 2012-2019. He did not make an immediate impact for the Bengals, playing in just five games his rookie year. In his fourth season, Kirkpatrick totaled a career-high 70 totals. In his eighth season with the team, he totaled just 33 tackles and no interceptions in six games. He played the 2020 season for the Arizona Cardinals appearing in 14 games and finishing with 53 tackles and 3 interceptions. He is a free agent.
2012 – Kevin Zeitler, OL, Wisconsin – Pick 27
Zeitler played for the Bengals from 2012-2016. In his five seasons with the Bengals, he missed just eight games and started in all but one game he played. He spent two seasons in Cleveland after signing with the Browns, spent two seasons with the Giants and recently signed a three-year deal with the Balitmore Ravens.
2013 – Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame – Pick 21
Eifert played for the Bengals from 2013-2019. He started his career in a backup role, playing behind two-time Pro Bowl selection Jermaine Gresham. In 2015, his third season, Eifert caught 13 touchdowns in his 13 played games, earning him a spot in the Pro Bowl. Eifert struggled with injuries and never played in more than eight games in his next three seasons. He started just four games for the Bengals in 2019, scoring just three times. Eifert signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars where he started four games in 2020. The Jaguars declined the second option of Eifert’s two-year deal.
2014 – Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan St. – Pick 24
Dennard played for the Bengals from 2014-2019. He struggled to crack the starting lineup during his time with the team, never starting more than nine games in a season. His peak performace came in 2017, his fourth season, when he totaled 85 tackles, 2 interceptions and a touchdown. He signed with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020, and he had 36 tackles and 1 interception. He is currently a free agent.
2015 – Cedric Ogbuehi, OL, Texas A&M – Pick 21
Ogbuehi played for the Bengals from 2015-2018. He played in just five games in his rookie year and 14 in both is second and third years. After appearing in just two games in his final year in Cincinnati, Ogbuehi signed with the Jaguars in 2019 where he was on the roster for 14 games. He then played in eight games for the Seattle Seahawks, where he just resigned for the 2021 season.
2016 – William Jackson III, CB, Houston – Pick 24
Jackson played for the Bengals from 2016-2020. He played in no less than 14 games each season, and finished each season with 27 or more tackles in all four seasons. He also had an interception in three of his four seasons. Jackson recently signed a three-year deal with the Washington Football Team.
2017 – John Ross III, WR, Washington – Pick 9
Ross played for the Bengals from 2017-2020. He did not make a catch his rookie season as he was placed on injured reserve. He came back his second season, starting 10 games and scoring a career-high 7 touchdowns. In 2019, his third season, Ross totaled a career-high 506 receiving yards. Ross was active for just three games in 2021. He recently signed with the New York Giants.
2018 – Billy Price, OL, Ohio St. – Pick 21
Price currently plays for the Bengals. Price started all 10 games he played in his rookie season, started eight games in 2019, and started just one game in 2020. The Bengals did not select Price’s option, meaning he’ll be a free agent after the 2021 season.
2019 – Jonah Williams, OL, Alabama – Pick 11
Williams currently plays for the Bengals. His career did not start strongly, as Williams missed his entire rookie season after needing shoulder surgery in the offseason. When he returned for the 2020 season, Williams started all 10 games he played before being placed on the IR with a knee injury.
2020 – Joe Burrow, QB, LSU – Pick 1
Burrow currently plays for the Bengals. The hopeful franchise quarterback was in the conversation for Rookie of the Year honors before his season ended after being hit versus the Wasington Football Team. Damage to his knee required surgery, which he has been rehabbing from since. Before the injury, Burrow had 2,688 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in his 10 games where he went 2-7-1 as a starter.
