

Plain Dealer

NFL Draft Special



Analyzing the odds of draft success in eight parts.



1. Overview: 13 picks for the Browns; can the team change its draft record? 2. Team-by-team: Patriots best and Browns worst in drafting All-Pros; a leaguewide look. 3. Round 1: Most All-Pros are found in first round, but not necessarily at the top. 4. By position: All-Pro wide receivers found higher in draft, on average, than other positions. 5. A wide receiver? Using a top pick on a wideout is not such a bad idea, history shows. 6. A quarterback? Bust factor for picking a QB early is high, but so can be the reward. 7. Other positions: A rundown of cornerbacks, tackles and running backs taken in Top 5. 8. Nos. 4, 22 and 37: A rundown of players chosen previously where the Browns are picking.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The New England Patriots and Cleveland's old friend, Bill Belichick, find more stars through the NFL Draft than any other team

Fifteen AP All-Pros from 2002-11, excluding special-teams players, were drafted by the Patriots since quarterback Rich Gannon in 1987, dating back to before Belichick was the coach. Not surprisingly, the Patriots have won more games than any other team over the last 10 seasons.

Conversely, the Browns have found the fewest All-Pros in the draft -- they were absent from the draft from 1996-98 -- and own the NFL's second-worst record over the last decade.

Excluding undrafted and special-teams players, 232 different draftees since Jerry Rice in 1986 became an All-Pro at least once over the last 10 seasons.

This will come as no shock, but a team's ability to find eventual All-Pros in the draft and its winning percentage is no coincidence.

The chart below shows the number of All-Pros and the team originally drafting each.

Use the arrows to sort each column.



Sources: Sports Reference LCC and The Plain Dealer

About the numbers: In an attempt to grade success, The Plain Dealer matched draft lists with a decade of AP All-Pro teams from 2002 to 2011. That's a high bar to set -- finding an All-Pro -- but what NFL general manager wouldn't be thrilled with that outcome? Special teams players were excluded because most were undrafted free agents.