Stories behind catchiest names in Browns draft history, from Beau Bell to Spergon Wynn

If you like meeting new people, the NFL draft is the place for you.

You never know who you might meet in a Cleveland Browns draft.

Sometimes the picks are complete strangers.

One time I was having what became an annual post-draft coffee with George Saimes, an NFL scout from Canton who was a great defensive back — he is on the American Football League's all-time, all-star team.

I loved George. He gave me an NFL eduation. I would go over the Browns draft picks, one by one. He would tell me things.

One time I gave the name of a fifth-round pick. He smiled and said, "Who?"

This article is in honor of George's agreeable sense of humor. It is a list not of the Browns' best or their worst draft picks of all-time. It is a list of 11 somewhat random draft picks with interesting stories and catchy or unusual names.

Call them the unforgettables.

1. Running back Adimchinobe Echemandu, No. 208 overall, 2004

George was going over the 2004 picks. "What about Echemandu?" He lit up. "Adimchinobe!" Many Browns picks puzzled George. This one he liked, partly because Echemandu, a native of Nigeria who played for Cal, presented himself well in person. The last pick of the Butch Davis era, Echemandu didn't get in a game until after Davis resigned late in his rookie season. He made rosters with four teams and appeared in 19 NFL games. These days, in business life in San Francisco, he goes by Joseph.

2. Fullback Owen Marecic, No. 124 overall, 2011

There was more grumbling about this Stanford man than seemed fair for anyone drafted in a middling spot. Marecic was quiet to the point listeners sometimes said, "I thought he was supposed to be smart." He dropped a few passes. Maybe it was just the general grousing that goes with team's 1-14 slump to finish 2011 and start 2012. Marecic barely lasted into the Jimmy Haslam era. He graduated from Stanford Medical School in 2021. He practices as a resident physician at Stanford Health Care.

3. Linebacker Sione Takitaki, No. 80 overall, 2019

As soon as the pick was in, Browns fans challenged each other to say "Takitaki" five times fast. John Dorsey, another guy with a sense of humor, played along. Dorsey also promised this Brigham Young Cougar would bring serious energy. Only three men from Dorsey's 16 picks across his two drafts as general manager remain on the team — Denzel Ward and Nick Chubb from 2018, and Takitaki from 2019. Takitaki played a career-high 567 defensive snaps in 2023. A new snacking chip, Takis, is his baby.

4. Receiver Hollywood Higgins, No. 172 overall, 2016

Probably, someone in media relations urged Rashard Higgins to lose the nickname, but people wouldn't let him, and he kind of wanted to be the people's choice anyway. His chance to go legend passed on a bad call when he was ruled to have fumbled near the goal line at a key point of a playoff game at Kansas City. He ranks 34th in franchise history with 1,890 receiving yards, a bit behind Quincy Morgan, a bit ahead of Greg Little. In true Hollywood fashion, on April 15, he declared he would sign a one–day contract with Cleveland and retire, at age 29, as a Brown.

5. Nose tackle Babatunde Oshinowo, No. 181 overall, 2006

General Manager Phil Savage moved down a spot, from 12 to 13, doing draft-day business with division rival Baltimore. The Ravens thought Savage might choose nose tackle Haloti Ngata over pass rusher Kamerion Wimbley. Savage wanted Wimbley all along and was happy to squeeze a sixth-round pick out of the Ravens, who took Ngata at 12. The Browns got Wimbley at 13, plus the sixth-round pick, spent on Oshinowo. "Baba" seemed a good guy, but it was a bad trade. Ngata is in the Ravens' Ring of Honor. Wimbley wasn't an impact player. Oshinowo appeared in two NFL games and moved on to his life's work. While at Stanford, he won an academic award named after former Browns first-round pick "Touchdown Tommy" Vardell. He is a vice president with Sandbox Industries in Chicago.

6. Quarterback Spergon Wynn, No. 183 overall, 2000

The 2000 Browns were 2-1 after 1999 No. 1 overall pick Tim Couch passed for 316 yards in a win over Pittsburgh. A season-ending injury to Couch left Doug Pederson at quarterback, leading to a 3-10 record after a 44-7 loss at Baltimore. Wynn got a test-drive start the next week, when a 48-0 loss at Jacksonville became the extent of his Browns career. In a 2021 interview with the Repository, Wynn graciously answered questions about life as "the last QB picked before Tom Brady" in the 2000 draft.

7. Linebacker Beau Bell, No. 104 overall, 2008

Ding-ding-ding-ding. The Browns finally were on the clock with a fourth-round pick when they chose Beau Bell from UNLV. It was quiet after that. He made three tackles in five games and was cut by a new regime. Bell was not a great scouting find, but what did anyone expect when the Browns' first pick of the '08 draft was so low, the result of trades that didn't pan out, including one for QB Brady Quinn? Ironically, Bell became a scouting intern with the Rams in 2020, a year after he was general manager for the Philadelphia Soul, an arena team.

8. Quarterback Charlie Frye, No. 67 overall, 2005

In the early 2000s, billboards with the message "Deep Fryed" popped up around Northeast Ohio. Akron Zips quarterback Charlie Frye really was a gate attraction. A crowd of 29,621 packed the Rubber Bowl late in 2004, with an MAC title on the line. Frye remained a passable prospect and well-liked individual through two years with the Browns. He started against Pittsburgh in the 2007 opener, got benched at halftime, and was traded to Seattle the next day. He was 6-13 as a Browns starter. Now a coach, he enters his second year as offensive coordinator for Florida Atlantic.

9. Tight end Brad Smelley, No. 247 overall, 2012

We'll assume you were mature enough not to snicker when you first heard his name, but know someone who did. Others applauded. In the 2011-12 season's national championship game, he led Alabama in catches with seven. Odell Beckham Jr. topped LSU with five. More Smelley trivia: His NFL totals are frozen in time at one catch — a 3-yard toss from Brandon Weeden in Game 15 of his first and only Browns season. Brad is a sales specialist for Agriland in Winterstet, Iowa.  

10. Quarterback Colt McCoy, No. 85 overall, 2010

A peppy name, a new autobiography, an NCAA-record 45 wins at Texas, and the glint in new team president Mike Holmgren's eye sparked hopes the dog days were over. So did McCoy's play against Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees and Tom Brady in his first three starts. The fun kind of ended there, but McCoy went on and on. He was with the Giants in 2020 when he lost a duel against the Browns' Baker Mayfield. After 13 years with five teams, McCoy is an analyst breaking down quarterback film for Underdog Fantasy.  

11. Receiver Elbert "Golden Wheels" Dubenion, No. 167 overall, 1959

The Westerville native didn't make the 1959 Browns team. Maybe he should have. He latched on to the AFL's Buffalo Bills in 1960. In 1964, he amassed 1,137 receiving yards and averaged a preposterous 27.1 yards a catch for a team that won the AFL championship. The Bills' best defensive player was Golden Wheels' teammate, George Saimes.  

Some other Cleveland Browns draft unforgettables

Linebacker Scooby Wright III (No. 250 overall, 2016). He got some Heisman votes at Arizona and is still kicking with the Birmingham Stallions. ... Receiver Syndric Steptoe (No. 234 overall, 2007). He was born two days after 2007 No. 3 overall pick Joe Thomas. He had a 53-yard catch that put the ball on the 1 in a 2008 game against Jacksonville; the possession ended with a Phil Dawson field goal. ... Long snapper Ryan Pontbriand (No. 142 overall, 2003). He went to two Pro Bowls before a case of the yips hit in his ninth season. ... Defensive tackle Pio Sagapolutele (No. 85 overall, 1991). He was a Brown throughout the Belchick era. He died of an aneurysm in 2009. ... Receiver Michael Jackson (No. 141 overall, 1991). Drafted the year artist Michael Jackson signed a record-breaking contract with Sony, he, too, played throughout Belichick era. He died in a 2017 motorcycle crash.