The Cleveland Browns’ Worst Five Draft Picks of the Andrew Berry Era

The Cleveland’s Browns draft history has been questionable -- to put it mildly -- since the team was reborn in 1999, with very few hits in a sea of failures.

Andrew Berry has overseen a bunch of those picks since 2000, when he took over as the Browns general manager.

While he’s coming off what’s undoubtedly considered his finest draft in 2025, it hasn’t always been rosy.

Hanford isn't going to call a ball a strike when it comes to Andrew Berry's draft history.

"It's been absolutely terrible."

- @HanfordDixon29

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— The Top Dawgs Show (@TopDawgShow) April 15, 2026

Here’s a look at Berry’s worst picks since taking over the top decisión-making job in Cleveland’s front office.

Dillon Gabriel, quarterback, Oregon, third round 2025

Cleveland’s quarterback room was a mess last year. Granted, there weren’t that many great options throughout the entire draft after Cam Ward went first overall, but taking Gabriel in the third was a big reach.

Gabriel wasted no time in proving this much, as the undersized lefty completed just 59.5 percent of his throws with a measly 5.1 yard per attempt average over six starts, out of which Cleveland won just once. At times, Gabriel seemed like he just didn’t belong on an NFL field.

A now forgotten man in the Browns’ currently open quarterback competition, new head coach Todd Monken recently revealed he hasn’t seen Gabriel at team headquarters, feeding speculation about his future with the club.

Cleveland could’ve had safety Xavier Watts, wide receiver Chimere Dike or running back Cam Skattebo instead.

Siaki Ika, defensive tackle, Baylor, third round 2023

You never want a one-and-done second day pick, but that’s exactly what Ika became after being selected at least one full round before he was projected by analysts.

Ika ended up appearing in four games for the club -- zero starts -- and released after just one season. Still on the board were Chase Brown and Puka Nacua.

Anthony Schwartz, wide receiver, Auburn, third round 2021

Over his six drafts as general manager, Berry has exercised a first round pick just half of the time thanks to the ill-advised Deshaun Watson trade. Thanks to this situation, his second and third round misses have been costlier than they would have under normal circumstances.

Schwartz was one of those big misses, after starting just three games in 25 appearances over two years with the franchise. A former track star, Schwartz caught all of 14 passes as a pro, with one touchdown.

Berry picked Schwartz 21 picks ahead of where Amon-Ra St. Brown was selected, and also slightly ahead of standouts like Quinn Meinerz, Nahshon Wright Wright and Ernest Jones IV..

David Bell, wide receiver, Purdue, third round 2022

Notice a trend here? Bell suffered a hip injury at the start of his third season, which eventually led to a botched surgery that prematurely ended his career. However, during his first two seasons with the Browns, his contributions were minimal.

During these first two years, he started just six of 31 games played, catching 38 passes for 381 yards and three scores, and had actually been waived by the team before his third season began.

Wideouts Romeo Doubs and Khalil Shakir were still available when Cleveland made this pick.

Michael Hall Jr., defensive tackle, Ohio State, second round 2024

Hall started off his career with a five-game suspension, and after missing another four games as a rookie due to injury, really ended his debut season on a very sour note due to a torn MCL on that season’s last game.

Cleveland left him on the active roster last year despite him not suiting up until Week 8, but he didn’t log a start in the nine games he appeared in to close out the season. To date, he’s recorded 25 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and three starts over 17 NFL games.

In his place, the Browns could have taken Roger Rosengarten or Calen Bullock.

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