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The 1967 NFL Draft — the first one that was combined with the AFL as the two leagues moved to a full merger in 1967 — was a pretty good one for the Browns, along with being an
Interesting one and even a historic one as well.

Indeed, it more or less had it all.

In the 17-round event — yes, it was 17 rounds, 10 more than today but 13 less than in the 1950s, when it was a robust 30 rounds — the Browns had 19 total picks.

In the first round, at No. 18 overall, they tabbed linebacker Bob Matheson, who didn’t do much.

The Browns, though,  drove it right through the uprights in the third round by taking Don Cocktoft. He began his 13-year career in 1968, taking over for Pro Football Hall of Famer Lou Groza and becoming part of team’s lineage of great kickers. He also doubled as the punter for much of the time, following Gary Collins.

Fourth-rounder Eppie Barney, a wide receiver, was pretty much a bust, falling far short of the career put together by his cousin, Detroit Lions cornerback Lem Barney, a Pro Football Hall of Famer.

John Demarie, a sixth-rounder, was a fine guard for 10 years.

Just as they would five years later, in 1972, with a quarterback you may have heard of by the name of Brian Sipe, the Browns had good fortune in round 13 with linebacker Billy Andrews. Though starting slowly, he ended up playing 11 seasons, his career being jump-started in a very memorable way when, in the 1970 opener at Cleveland Stadium, he intercepted a Joe Namath pass and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown with just over a minute left to seal a 31-21 victory over the New York Jets before 85,703 fans, still the largest crowd ever to see a Browns home game, in the first-ever Monday Night Football contest. It began a longstanding trend on MNF of little-known players stepping up in big moments and becoming unlikely heroes.

“It kind of reminded (head coach) Blanton Collier that I was on the team,” Andrews, now a cattle rancher in his native Texas, told me years later. “He started to notice me and saw that I could contribute if I got opportunities.”

Asked if he had ever thought about that play through the decades since, he said with a laugh, “Only every day!”

The Browns’ last choice is one of the great stories in team history. Taken in the 17th round, at No. 439 overall, was cornerback Ben Davis of tiny Defiance College, located on the Ohio-Indiana border about 160 miles west of Cleveland.

Because of his draft position, and the fact the Browns had very good clubs then, he seemed to have virtually no chance to make the team. There just didn’t appear to be room for him on the then smallish 40-man rosters (the limit is 53 now). But, with the help of being outstanding on special teams — he returned a punt for a touchdown as a rookie and led the NFL with a 12.7 yards-per-return average — he earned a spot. By his second season in 1968, he became a starter on defense, leading the Browns with eight interceptions and also the league with 162 interception return yards. He stayed seven years in all in Cleveland.

But one of the most intriguing facts about the shy, soft-spoken, friendly Davis has nothing to do with football. It is that his sister, Angela Davis, might be the G.O.A.T. when it comes to political
activism.

OK, this is all well and good, and it’s nearly draft time for 2025, being a little over a month away, but other than that, why focus now on the 1967 draft?

Because this week is the beginning of March Madness. We’ll explain next time.

Steve King