The Browns will have a long wait ahead of their first pick of the 2023 draft at No. 74 overall, but that doesn't mean they'll miss out on a chance to add a player capable of carving a significant NFL career.
Many players — including four Hall of Famers — drafted from that spot have been able to leave a large footprint in the league. We went back and looked at the history of the position and identified seven notable players who have previously been drafted at No. 74 as the weeks wind down to the NFL Draft.
OG Will Shields, Chiefs - 1993
The most recent 74th overall pick to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Shields clinched 12 consecutive Pro Bowls with the Chiefs from 1995-2006 and never missed a game across his 14-year career. He was enshrined in Canton in 2015.
RB Curtis Martin, Patriots - 1995
Martin, a five-time Pro Bowler, stands sixth on the NFL's all-time rushing leaderboard after he started his career with 10 straight 1,000-yard seasons, joining Barry Sanders as the only running backs to achieve the feat. He spent the first three years of his career with the Patriots before joining the Jets, whom he played for the next eight years. He became a Hall of Famer in 2012.
TE Charlie Sanders, Lions - 1968
Sanders was a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time first team All-Pro player in Detroit, where he played for all 10 of his NFL seasons. Sanders was the Lions' receiving leader in six of those seasons and was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1970s. He was enshrined in Canton in 2007.
Join the Season Ticket Member Waitlist
Purchase a Cleveland Browns Season Ticket Deposit to reserve your spot on the Waitlist.
S Larry Wilson, Cardinals - 1960
Wilson became a Hall of Famer in 1978 after a 13-year career where he was voted to the Pro Bowl eight times and named a first team All-Pro player five times. He recorded two or more interceptions in every year of his career and finished his time in St. Louis with 52 career picks.
WR Steve Smith, Panthers - 2001
Smith could become the fifth Hall of Famer on this list — he's been a semifinalist the last year two years — but has yet to be on the final ballot after a 16-year career where he topped 1,000 yards eight times. He's a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time first team All-Pro player who stands eighth on the NFL's all-time receiving leaderboard with 14,731 yards.
DE Justin Tuck, Giants - 2005
Tuck was a two-time Pro Bowler who totaled 66.5 sacks in his career. He was a mainstay in the Giants' defensive line for the first nine years of his career before playing two seasons with the Oakland Raiders. He topped double-digit sacks four times in his career.
S Gary Barbaro, Chiefs - 1976
Barbaro played in the NFL for seven years — all with the Chiefs — and ended his career with three-straight Pro Bowl seasons. He totaled 39 interceptions.
And, for some bonus information, here are the last five players to be selected at No. 74 overall:
2022 - QB Desmond Ridder, Falcons
2021 - CB Benjamin St. Juste, Commanders
2020 - LB Zach Baun, Saints
2019 - RB Devin Singletary, Bills
2018 - OT Geron Christian, Commanders
