30 worst No. 1 overall picks in NFL Draft history: 6. DE, Courtney Brown
Stats:
- 19 sacks
- 156 tackles
Courtney Brown was a mouth-watering prospect. The powerful defensive end dominated at Penn State University. By the team his senior year rolled by, Brown would open up his knapsack at the end of the season and fill it up with numerous awards.
Brown took home the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award, Defensive Linemen of the year honors and was named an All-American and the First Team All-Big Ten as well. His productivity made him a no-brainer selection for the number one overall pick held by the Cleveland Browns at the start of the new Millenium.
Things started off fairly promising after Brown picked up 4.5 sacks and 69 tackles in year one, but outside of his rookie year, Brown never played a full season as the injuries started to pile up. As a result of his health issues, his stats began to plummet. He would never register more than six sacks and in terms of tackles, he wouldn’t come close to the 69 he put up in his first year.
Tired of his baggage, the Browns kicked him out the door in 2005 where he went on to have one more final season with the Broncos. He was still unproductive in his new spot, recording only 20 tackles and two sacks before hanging up his cleats for good.