He played college football for the Florida Gators, earning unanimous All-American honors and was a member of a BCS National Championship team.

He was first discovered as an MVP at the National Underclassmen Combine camp in New Jersey alongside current NFL quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

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.

As a sophomore in 2008, Haden started all 14 games, recording 87 tackles, and three interceptions—including an 88-yard interception return for a touchdown (the fourth longest in Gators history).

[8] Over 75 representatives from all 32 NFL teams attended including head coaches Eric Mangini (Cleveland Browns), Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers), John Fox (Carolina Panthers), Raheem Morris (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), and Tom Coughlin (New York Giants)[9] He was ranked as the top cornerback prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com and SI.com.

[13][14] Haden entered training camp competing with Sheldon Brown and Eric Wright for a starting cornerback position.

[15] Haden made his professional regular season debut in the Browns' season-opener against the Buccaneers, finishing with two combined tackles and a pass deflection during a 17–14 loss.

[16] On November 14, 2010, Haden made a season-high seven solo tackles and intercepted New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez during a 26–20 overtime loss.

[17] The next game, he recorded three solo tackles, deflected three passes, and intercepted Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard during a 24–20 loss.

[18] On November 28, 2010, Haden earned his first start at cornerback and recorded three combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted Jimmy Clausen as the Browns defeated the Panthers, 24–23.

[21] He started the Browns' season-opening 27–17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and recorded three combined tackles and a season-high five pass deflections.

[27] On November 17, 2013, he collected two combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted Bengals' quarterback Andy Dalton twice, as the Browns lost, 41–20.

[29][30] On November 16, 2014, he collected a career-high 13 combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett, as the Browns lost, 23–7.

[31] The following game, Haden recorded five solo tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, helping the Browns win, 26–24.

On September 18, Haden recorded four combined tackles, found pass deflections, and intercepted Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco twice, as the Browns were defeated, 25–20.

On December 25, 2017, he made his return after missing five games and recorded two solo tackles and a pass deflection during a 34–6 victory at the Texans.

[47] On January 14, 2018, Haden started his first career playoff game and made four solo tackles and a pass deflection in a 45–42 loss to the Jaguars in the AFC Divisional Round.

In a week 15 matchup versus the Patriots, Haden recorded 12 tackles and made a leaping fourth-quarter interception in the red zone off a pass thrown by Tom Brady as the Steelers held on to a 14–10 lead.

[53] In Week 13 against his former team, the Browns, Haden recorded an interception off a pass thrown by Baker Mayfield with one minute left in the game which sealed a 20–13 Steelers' win.

[54] In Week 14 against the Arizona Cardinals, Haden recorded 2 interceptions off rookie quarterback Kyler Murray, the latter of which occurred late in the fourth quarter to seal a 23–17 win.

[55] In Week 17 against the Ravens, Haden intercepted a pass thrown by former teammate Robert Griffin III and recovered a fumble forced by T. J. Watt on running back Gus Edwards during the 28–10 loss.

[57] In Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, Haden recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown by Jeff Driskel during the 26–21 win.

[58] In Week 12 against the Ravens, Haden intercepted a pass thrown by former Browns teammate Robert Griffin III and returned it for a 14 yard touchdown during the 19–14 win.