PHILADELPHIA – With the No. 1 pick in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns selected Myles Garrett, a defensive end from Texas A&M.
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Here's some information on Garrett's draft profile from NFL.com:
The Dallas area Defensive Player of the Year as a high school senior and member of an athletic family (mother, sister were college track stars, father Sean played in the NBA), big things were expected from Garrett upon his arrival in College Station. He didn't disappoint. The consensus Freshman All-American and second-team All-SEC pick had 11.5 sacks as a freshman. Garrett then added finalist honors for the Lombardi and Hendricks Awards as the nation's top defender as a sophomore with 19.5 tackles for loss and tying for second in the FBS with 12.5 sacks and five forced fumbles. While fighting a knee injury suffered early in 2016, Garrett was still named first-team All-American and All-SEC as a junior (15 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks) while playing in 11 games, starting just nine.
Strengths
Chiseled physique with functional strength, and not just beach muscles. Bigger than people think. Uber-athlete with spring-loaded hips and elite explosiveness. Powerful legs allow him to fight through redirect blocks and corner the edge at a sharp angle. Dominant pass-rush ability and production in college. Remarkable burst off the snap. His first three steps can throw an offense into disarray. When he times the snap, tackles have almost no chance of catching him at the edge. Wicked, whirling, dervish inside spin move that's reminiscent of Dwight Freeney's. Charges, coils, and springs up into tackles to help facilitate a quality bull rush. Game-wrecking potential. Has game experience against the likes of La'el Collins, Shon Coleman, Cam Robinson and Laremy Tunsil. Can play with a hand in the ground or standing. Able to spin in either direction out of block engagement. Lightning-fast inside charge extremely disruptive against the run. Gobbles up grass with long strides in open-field pursuit. Plus acceleration to the runner. Quick twitch creates ability to bound suddenly into running backs looking to charge past line of scrimmage. Outstanding rate as a tackle finisher with running backs and quarterbacks rarely escaping his clutches. Looks to maintain run fits rather than play hero ball. Has ability to play on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
Weaknesses
Relies heavily on tremendous athleticism and explosion. Still learning how to string moves together and work with a pass-rush plan. At times, will take too long to activate counter moves when initial attack has stalled. Effort level appears closely tied to fatigue level at times. As pass rusher, uses hands reactively too often rather than proactively. Gets too cozy with blockers and will ride block for too long. Needs more urgency in disengagement. Would benefit with violent stick-and-move punch quickness into blockers. Has to work overtime to set a strong edge. Gets uprooted and widened out by quality run-blocking tackles. Never played in more than 70 percent of the defensive snaps in any of his three seasons at Texas A&M. Scouts are convinced he took plays off to protect his health this season.
Expectations
Draft projection: Top 3 pick
NFL comparison: Julius Peppers
Elite edge rusher who possesses rare explosiveness and the fluid-movement skills and agility of an NBA shooting guard. Good size, but he's never likely going to be a hold-your-ground run defender, and might be best suited as an outside linebacker. However, his ability to explode into the backfield through a gap or around the edge gives him disruptive potential on every snap. Garrett still needs to fine-tune his pass-rush strategy and could stand to give more consistent effort from the start of the snap until the whistle. But his pass-rush production and athletic traits point toward an all-pro career.
-- Lance Zierlein