EXCLUSIVE: 7 things you didn't know about Browns draft history

Credit: Jonathan Daniel

Credit: Jonathan Daniel

The Cleveland Browns participated in their first NFL Draft in 1950, when they made 31 picks.

In the years since, they have drafted a total of 977 players from 225 different colleges, schools ranging from Tufts to Dayton to Oklahoma to Ohio State.

With the 2016 NFL Draft beginning Thursday, we pulled data about the Browns' draft history from Pro Football Reference to see what we would find.

Here are seven things you might not have know about their history in the NFL Draft.

>> DATABASE: Search all 977 Browns draft picks

>> RELATED: 7 things you didn't know about Bengals draft history

First pick: Ken Carpenter

The Browns joined the NFL after the All-America Football Conference folded after the 1949 season, and their first NFL pick was Oregon State halfback Ken Carpenter. Carpenter played five NFL seasons, and his best was in 1952, when he rushed 72 times for 408 yards and three touchdowns.

The longest-lasting player from that initial Browns draft was Notre Dame guard Jim Martin, who played in 166 games through the 1964 season and was a starter for 11 seasons. However, only the first of those seasons came with the Browns.

Here's a look at the first 10 NFL picks in Browns history:

Round Pick Name School Position
1 13 Ken Carpenter Oregon State HB
2 18 John Sandusky Villanova T
2 26 Jim Martin Notre Dame G
3 39 Jimmy Joe Robinson Pittsburgh B
4 52 Bob Wilson Wisconsin C
5 65 Don Phelps Kentucky HB
6 78 Ken Gorgal Purdue DB
7 91 Win Carter Missouri B
8 104 Russ Frizzell Tulsa T
9 117 Jim Duncan Wake Forest DE

In 1957, the Browns drafted three Hall of Famers

Bob Hickerson poses with his father Gene Hickerson's bust during the Class of 2007 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony in 2007. AL MESSERSCHMIDT / GETTY IMAGES

Syracuse's Jim Brown was the Browns' first-round pick in the 1957 draft (sixth overall, after Pual Hornung, Jon Arnett, John Brodie, Ron Kramer and Len Dawson).

He is one of three Hall of Famers the Browns picked that year, including Virginia defensive tackle Henry Jordan (5th round, 52nd overall) and Mississippi guard Gene Hickerson (7th round, 78th overall).

A look at all Browns draft picks who have become NFL Hall of Famers:

Year Round Pick Name College Position
1951 9 110 Don Shula John Carroll DB
1953 1 11 Doug Atkins Tennessee DE
1953 20 239 Chuck Noll Dayton LB
1956 15 181 Willie Davis Grambling State DE
1957 1 6 Jim Brown Syracuse FB
1957 5 52 Henry Jordan Virginia DT
1957 7 78 Gene Hickerson Mississippi G
1958 7 84 Bobby Mitchell Illinois FL
1959 5 58 Dick LeBeau Ohio State DB
1964 1 11 Paul Warfield Ohio State WR
1964 8 110 Leroy Kelly Morgan State RB
1978 1 23 Ozzie Newsome Alabama TE

Ohio State has produced the most Browns picks

Brian Robiskie, seen here against the Chiefs in December 2009, is one of the Ohio State Buckeyes drafted by the Cleveland Browns. JAMIE SQUIRE / GETTY IMAGES

The Browns have drafted 32 players from Ohio State, including hall of famers Paul Warfield and Dick LeBeau. Buckeyes product Jim Marshall played only the first of his 20 seasons with the Browns before the team traded him to Minnesota, where he played his final 19 seasons.

The Ohio State group includes basketball hall of famer John Havlicek, who, before going onto his career with the Boston Celtics, was drafted by the Browns in the seventh round in 1962.

3 No. 1 overall choices

Quarterback Tim Couch of the Cleveland Browns throws a pass against the Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Sept. 28, 2003. PHIL LONG / GETTY IMAGES

The Browns have made the draft's first selection three times, on Stanford quarterback Bobby Garrett (1954), Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch (1999) and Penn State defensive end Courtney Brown (2000). Combined, they played eight seasons as their teams' primary starter.

Cleveland has chosen in the Top 10 overall 25 times, including 10 times since 1999.

A look at Cleveland's Top 5 picks:

Year Pick Name College Position
1954 1 Bobby Garrett Stanford QB
1999 1 Tim Couch Kentucky QB
2000 1 Courtney Brown Penn State DE
1991 2 Eric Turner UCLA DB
1970 3 Mike Phipps Purdue QB
1982 3 Chip Banks USC LB
2001 3 Gerard Warren Florida DT
2005 3 Braylon Edwards Michigan WR
2007 3 Joe Thomas Wisconsin T
2012 3 Trent Richardson Alabama RB
1962 4 Gary Collins Maryland FL
1975 5 Mack Mitchell Houston DE
1987 5 Mike Junkin Duke LB

8 later-round picks have become Hall of Famers

In 1953, the Browns drafted Dayton linebacker Chuck Noll in the 20th round (239th overall). Noll went on to play seven seasons with the Browns and became a Hall of Fame coach.

Noll is one of eight eventual Hall of Famers drafted by the Browns in the fourth round or later. That group includes John Carroll's Don Shula in 1951 (9th round, 110th overall).

Here, players the Browns drafted in the fourth round or later who played at least 200 NFL games:

Year Round Name School Position Games
1960 4 Jim Marshall Ohio State DE 282
1987 10 Frank Winters Western Illinois C 231
1984 10 Earnest Byner East Carolina RB 211
1961 8 Fred Cox Pittsburgh K 210
1971 6 Doug Dieken Illinois T 203
1957 7 Gene Hickerson Mississippi G 202
1990 5 Rob Burnett Syracuse DE 202

93 Pro Bowlers have been picked by the Browns

Led by Jim Brown, Walt Sweeney and Joe Thomas - who have each been elected to nine Pro Bowls - the Browns have picked a total of 93 players who eventually were chosen for the Pro Bowl (nearly 10 percent of their total picks).

Here, the players drafted by the Browns who have been elected to at least six Pro Bowls:

Year Round Pick Name School Position Pro Bowls
1957 1 6 Jim Brown Syracuse FB 9
1963 8 107 Walt Sweeney Syracuse G 9
2007 1 3 Joe Thomas Wisconsin T 9
1953 1 11 Doug Atkins Tennessee DE 8
1964 1 11 Paul Warfield Ohio State WR 8
1957 7 78 Gene Hickerson Mississippi G 6
1959 2 23 Dick Schafrath Ohio State T 6
1964 8 110 Leroy Kelly Morgan State RB 6
1988 2 50 Michael Dean Perry Clemson DT 6

Defensive backs have been the favorite first-round pick

Defensive back Joe Haden holds up a Cleveland Browns jersey after he was selected No. 7 overall by the Browns in 2010 NFL Draft. JEFF ZELEVANSKY / GETTY IMAGES

Of the Browns' 67 first-round picks, the most common position drafted has been defensive back (11 times). The most prolific of those was Clarence Scott of Kansas State in 1971. He went on to play 186 games in 12 seasons as a starter with the Browns.

The next most-common first-round positions have been linebacker (9), quarterback (7) and runnning back (7).

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