Courtesy BadgerNation.com

Since returning to the NFL in 1999, the Cleveland Browns have had fans and NFL experts scratching their heads after virtually every NFL draft.

One pick after another seemed to lack any logic or forethought.

Tim Couch was picked over great quarterback prospects, like Donovan McNabb. Gerard Warren was taken over LaDainian Tomlinson. As a result, the Browns have been horrible, making the playoffs just once in the last eight seasons.

Then came the 2007 NFL draft. After another double-digit loss season, the Browns had the third pick overall. Many observers believed Cleveland would select Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, as Cleveland continues to struggle at quarterback.

A few analysts believed the Browns might take Adrian Peterson, who looks a lot like Tomlinson.

On draft day, the Cleveland Browns shocked everyone. Passing on both Quinn and Peterson, Cleveland drafted Wisconsin offensive tackle Joe Thomas with the third pick in the first round. Not a sexy pick, but Thomas is widely considered to be a Jonathan Ogden-type tackle. You can pencil him in for the next ten years and watch him pancake defenders regularly.

But the Browns weren't finished.

In shockingly uncharacteristic fashion, Owner Al Lerner and General Manager Phil Savage shook up the entire NFL draft and took a chance, like the Browns haven't taken in decades.

When the Miami Dolphins surprisingly passed on Brady Quinn, even though they are desperate for a quarterback, Savage started searching for a trade.

As the draft continued, Quinn, called the best quarterback in the draft by many respected NFL analysts, began to tumble. A top 10 prospect on everyone's board, Quinn fell all the way to number 22 in the first round.

Then, the unthinkable happened. It was announced that the Dallas Cowboys had traded the pick to Cleveland and that the Browns were selecting Brady Quinn.

Roughly four hours earlier, speculation had the Cleveland Browns taking Brady Quinn with the third pick overall. Had Cleveland taken Quinn at number three, they would have secured their potential franchise quarterback, but they would have missed on Thomas and been forced to pay Quinn $25 to $35 million more in salary.

When Savage saw Quinn dropping, like a brick thrown into the deep end of the pool, Cleveland's GM did everything possible to land another player in the top five on the Browns' draft board.

So, when the first round of the 2007 NFL draft was over, The Cleveland Browns had two of their five most-coveted players -- one of the best tackles to enter the NFL in a decade and a quarterback who has been compared to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

The Cleveland Browns definitely stole the show on day one of the 2007 NFL draft.

Who would have ever expected it?