Joe Haden

Joseph Walter Haden III (born April 14, 1989) is an American football cornerback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Florida, was recognized as an All-American, and was a member of a BCS National Championship team. He was selected by the Browns in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Early years
Haden was born in Fort Washington, Maryland. He attended Friendly High School in Fort Washington, where he played quarterback for the Friendly Patriots high school football team and set the Maryland public school record with 7,371 career passing yards and tied the record for touchdown passes with 80.

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Haden was listed as the No. 3 athlete in the nation in the class of 2007. He chose Florida over offers from Pittsburgh, Ohio State and Tennessee.

College career
Haden accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Urban Meyer's Florida Gators football team from 2007 to 2009.

As a true freshman in 2007, Haden started 12 games at cornerback, missing one game due to an ankle sprain. He became the first true freshman to start a game at cornerback for the Gators on opening day, and finished the season with 63 tackles and an interception. He was recognized as a freshman All-American by the Sporting News and Collegefootballnews.com and was a All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) freshman selection.

As a sophomore in 2008, Haden started all 14 games, recording 77 tackles, and three interceptions&mdash;including an 88-yard interception return for a touchdown (the fourth longest in Gators history). In the Gators' 24–14 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the BCS Championship Game, he had 10 tackles and three pass break-ups.

During his junior year in 2009, he had 57 tackles, four interceptions and three quarterback sacks. After the season, he was a first-team All-SEC selection, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American. He also shared the Gators' most valuable player award with quarterback Tim Tebow, and was named the National Defensive Player of the Year by the Sporting News.

After his junior season, Haden decided to forgo his senior season and entered the NFL Draft.

Pre-draft
Haden was considered one of the best prospects available for the 2010 NFL Draft. At the NFL Combine, Haden disappointed scouts with a 4.57 sec time in the 40-yard dash, which is slow for an NFL cornerback, but it was later revealed he had a sore back at that time. He ran a 4.43 in Florida's Pro Day

Cleveland Browns
Haden was drafted 7th overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2010 NFL Draft. He and the Browns agreed to a five-year, $50 million contract on July 31, 2010. Haden started his rookie season as the Browns nickelback, but took the starting spot from a struggling, and injured Eric Wright in Week 11. Haden became the first Browns player since 1968 to intercept a pass in four straight games. He finished his rookie season with 64 combined tackles, 6 interceptions and one forced fumble.

In 2012, Haden faced a potential four-game suspension after testing positive for Adderall. If he got suspended, Haden had the option to appeal the suspension, which would have resulted in the loss of four game checks ($1.356 million). The league announced on September 10 that Haden will be suspended for four games.