Former Browns 1st Round pick tearing it up in the USFL

The number of failed first-round draft picks in Cleveland Browns history seems like it could fill a book. The NFL draft just hasn’t been a strong suit for the team for years. Some of those failures led to players being out of the league before their rookie contracts were up while others have been players who have etched out careers but mostly as backups.

WR Corey Coleman is one of many that stick out for Browns fans. Coleman was the first selection by Sashi Brown in the new era of Cleveland football. As such, Coleman became the poster child for “analytics” and was a part of teams that were torn down to the studs with the hope of rebuilding on youth and draft picks.

Coleman lasted just two seasons with the Browns including dropping a pass that led to the team’s final loss in their 0-16 season. That was Coleman’s last act as a member of the team.

Since then, Coleman played eight games with the New York Giants and has bounced around a few practice squads. His football story has not ended, however, as Coleman is tearing it up in the USFL:

Coleman led the league in both receptions and receiving yards in 2023. His 669 yards were almost 100 more than the next leading receiver. Antithetical to his final game with Cleveland, Coleman also had no drops this season.

It will be interesting if the former first-round draft pick gets another chance in the NFL but Coleman’s story is a great example that NFL busts are still, generally, great athletes and their stories don’t always end negatively.

Are you surprised Coleman has stuck around the game for this long?