Bleacher Report Looks Back at Browns-Falcons Draft-Day Trade, 6 Years Later

On the night of the 2011 draft, the Cleveland Browns and the Atlanta Falcons made a bold trade that turned out great for one team...and not so well for the other.

Anybody who pays attention to the NFL can guess who won the deal.

Cleveland traded the No. 6 overall pick to Atlanta for five draft picks (its first-, second-, and fourth-round picks in 2011, plus its first- and fourth-round picks in 2012). The Falcons traded up to draft Alabama star Julio Jones to give Matt Ryan a dynamic option on the outside.

The Browns, on the other hand, used their picks to select defensive lineman Phil Taylor, receiver Greg Little, fullback Owen Marecic and quarterback Brandon Weeden. They packaged the other pick to trade up for running back Trent Richardson in 2012.

Well, the bad news for Cleveland is that Jones has been more productive than those five players combined—and it's not even close.

Six years later, the Falcons are in the Super Bowl, and the Browns are sitting atop the NFL draft board after going 1-15. Just imagine how different the league might be if the draft-day trade had never happened.