The 2018 draft had some hot candidates on the table. Two of the top ones from the group were Penn State running back Saquon Barkley and Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen. It has been eight years since the draft, and the buzz surrounding the two players has still not faded, as Barkley and Allen still hold the top tier of NFL players. This has led former Cleveland Browns coach Todd Haley to open up about his unhealed wounds.

“I begged every single day. I said, ‘Take Saquon [Barkley] one, take Josh Allen four.’ We had the first and fourth pick,” shared Haley on the 93.7 The Fan podcast. “We took Baker [Mayfield], which again, this isn’t an indictment on Baker. I love Baker, but I knew Josh would be there at four. But every day Jimmy Haslam would come into my office and say, ‘What should we do?’ And I’d say, ‘Who is it?’ And he’s a close talker. He’d get right against your face. And every day I would say, ‘Josh Allen, Josh Allen, Josh Allen.’ Over and over again.

“And then on draft day, GM John Dorsey called me as I’m heading into the office cuz we didn’t it didn’t go off till 8 and he’s like, ‘We’re taking Baker.’ And I’m like, ‘Ah.’ And I love Baker. I love him. And he had a great rookie year and a good early portion of his career, and now he’s doing it again. But I just I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about Saquon and Josh Allen.”

Baker Mayfield went to Cleveland with the first overall pick, followed by cornerback Denzel Ward at No. 4. The New York Giants took Barkley second overall, while the Buffalo Bills grabbed the golden opportunity and traded up to the seventh pick to bring Allen aboard. The decision still gives Haslam cold sweats.

Since entering the league, Allen has developed into one of the NFL’s premier quarterbacks and claimed the 2024 MVP honor. Barkley, who is now signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, recorded 2,005 rushing yards that same season and won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2024 and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018.

The flashbacks are now coming even more often given the Browns’ present condition. Against Baltimore, Deshaun Watson was sacked five times, while before that New York sacked him eight times, making the veteran’s sack count 25 seven weeks into the season.

Cut to Allen: he has gotten sacked 12 times so far this season. In that way, the quarterback search that started with that 2018 draft has never really ended.

Allen’s first two NFL seasons saw him rank in the bottom 10 in sack rate, partly because he held the ball longer than most quarterbacks, much like Watson has done throughout his career. But eight years into his NFL journey, Allen now boasts the fourth-lowest sack rate among active passers.

There is also a stark difference between the attitude of the two quarterbacks, for which Cleveland is still paying a heavy price.

“I think the media has this expectation that I’m supposed to throw 400 yards and 5 touchdowns every week,” Watson said after their 34-10 loss to Jacksonville in the season opener. “Until that happens, I guess it’s going to be the same situation. My job is to make sure I’m playing well so that we can get a win and keep moving forward.”

But against the Detroit Lions, Allen proved that reaching five total touchdowns is no rocket science.

Meanwhile, this is not the first time that Haley opened up about the costly misses. This month on the Football America podcast, he shared how the moves still keep him awake at night.

“Cleveland’s a mess generally, so I get it. I got my contract, so that all worked out,” Haley said. “But there are nights I wake up in a cold sweat, especially after we see Josh Allen do some Josh Allen-like things.”

Years later, Barkley, too, shows what the Browns missed. Even though Philadelphia lost 38-21 to Dallas, Barkley, while coming out of a hamstring injury, put on something heroic: 7 rushing attempts, averaging 8.9 yards per attempt while recording 62 yards and a touchdown.

That’s how the Browns’ 2018 draft decisions continue to haunt their former coach years later.