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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