With the No. 7 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns fortified their defensive backfield, selecting cornerback Joe Haden out of Florida. Known more for their misses than their hits in drafts, the Browns found a good one in Haden.
He had a very successful second act of his career with the Browns’ bitter rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, as well. All in all, Haden made three Pro Bowl teams and was a second-team All-Pro once as well in his 12-season career that came to an end last November.
After not being signed during the 2022 offseason, Haden decided to hang his cleats up when he signed a one-day contract with the Browns on November 9th. He was able to retire with the first franchise he knew, putting a nice bow on his career.
There is no denying that Haden was one of the best cornerbacks during the 2010s, leading to matchups against some very good wide receivers. Recently, he made an appearance on NFL Live Tuesday and revealed who was the toughest player to cover, via Bleacher Report.
His list may surprise some people, but atop it at No. 1 was Antonio Brown. The two matched up frequently during Haden’s time with the Browns as Brown was a standout for the Steelers. For six years they faced off against each other before Haden joined Pittsburgh, making them teammates for two seasons.
Haden most definitely isn’t alone when it comes to finding struggles in slowing Brown down. There was a time that he was in the conversation as the best wide receiver in the NFL, putting up Hall of Fame-worthy statistics for a large chunk of his career.
There aren’t many surprises rounding out the top-five list of Haden’s toughest covers in the NFL. Calvin Johnson, Odell Beckham Jr., Julio Jones and A.J. Green rounds out the list, in that order. Like Brown, Haden saw a lot of Green throughout his career as he played for the Cincinnati Bengals, another Browns’ divisional foe.
You won’t find many people arguing with that list. They are all incredibly talented players that would give even the greatest cornerbacks some fits. Haden more than held his own against them and the other greats that he matched up against throughout his career.
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