NFL Draft: Greatest pick from each franchise’s history
NFL Draft: Greatest pick from each franchise’s history: Cleveland Browns, RB Jim Brown
Pick: 1957 NFL Draft, 1st round number 6 overall
Stats:
- 12,312 rushing yards
- 106 rushing touchdowns
Awards:
- 9 time Pro Bowler
- 8 time First Team All-Pro
- 4 time MVP
In today’s NFL game, most teams would love it if the opposing offense continually stuffed the ball into the belly of the running back. But, when it was Hall of Famer Jim Brown who was on the receiving end of getting that ball handed to him, defenses wanted to rip their hair out.
Simply put, there was no stopping Brown once he got the rock. In his first year in the league, fell just short of a thousand yards with 942. From there, he would have only one more season where that would happen again. By the way, he would rush for 996 yards in that previously mentioned time of failing to cross the thousand-yard threshold. Brown was a Pro Bowler every single year he was in the league. He was also an eight-time First-Team All-Pro selection as well.
Brown routinely gashed defenses. In seven of his nine years in the league, he rushed for over 1,200 yards. He was a major piece for a Cleveland Browns team that was consistently in the championship conversation. His mantle might be missing a Vince Lombardi trophy but his four MVPs more than make up for it.
Although Brown played in an era where there were only 12 and 14 game regular seasons, his numbers across the board are as impressive as anyone else’s at his position. He currently ranks 11th in league history with 12,312 rushing yards and sixth with 106 TDs.
No one wearing a Browns jersey has ever been more impactful or iconic. It makes it even more special that he was homegrown as the team selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 1957 draft.