In 24 days, the NFL Draft will start in Pittsburgh. The Cleveland Browns hold the 91st No. 24 pick in the draft’s history, obtained last year in a deal with Jacksonville that allowed the Jaguars to take Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter with the No. 2 choice in the 2025 draft.
Could Cleveland trade out of this pick, too? Teams who want a 1,000-yard running back ought to be interested, and the Browns already have high hopes for former Pike Road High School star Quinshon Judkins to reach that total in his second season with Cleveland.
The 24th pick in the NFL Draft has produced eight running backs who have registered 1,000-yard seasons. The only other selection that can match that among the first 32 is No. 2, and the No. 24 group has combined for more 1,000-yard seasons with 33.
Eleven of those milestone performances belong to players with Alabama football roots. Alabama alumni Josh Jacobs and Najee Harris have four apiece, and former Auburn standout James Brooks had three.
The San Diego Chargers picked Brooks in 1981, the Oakland Raiders picked Jacobs in 2019 and the Pittsburgh Steelers picked Harris in 2021.
The other 1,000-yard running backs who entered the NFL at No. 24 in the draft are Rodney Hampton, Craig “Iron Head” Heyward, Calvin Hill, Steven Jackson and Chris Johnson.
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Two other prospects who played at Alabama high schools and colleges have been No. 24 selections – Hueytown High School and Alabama back Butch Wilson by the Baltimore Colts in 1963 and Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold by the Detroit Lions in 2024.
Arnold became an immediate starter in Detroit’s secondary, but a shoulder injury caused him to miss nine games in his second season.
Wilson played halfback and defensive back at Alabama, but he transitioned to tight end in NFL. The Colts drafted Syracuse tight end John Mackey five spots before they picked Wilson, and during Wilson’s five seasons with Baltimore, Mackey was a Pro Bowler four times and first-team All-Pro twice.
Wilson still did a great service for the Colts. Just before the 1968 season, Baltimore traded him and a draft choice to the New York Giants for Earl Morrall when Johnny Unitas got hurt in the Colts’ final preseason game. The new quarterback won the 1968 NFL Most Valuable Player Award and led Baltimore into its date with destiny against Joe Namath and the New York Jets in Super Bowl III.