CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns selected former Texas A&M defensive lineman Myles Garrett with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
In 34 games over his three years with the Aggies, Garrett registered 141 total tackles, including 81 solo stops and 60 assists, with 31.0 quarterback sacks, seven forced fumbles, one recovery, five passes defended and one interception.
After having 11 and 11.5 sacks in each of his first two years at Texas A&M, Garrett registered 8.5 sacks during the 2016 season. In a career-low 10 games in 2016, Garrett saw significant dips in productivity as it relates to tackles (33), solo stops (18) and assists (15), as well as forced fumbles (two) from the previous season.
At the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine, the 6-foot-5, 261-pound Garrett shined in all of the drills, both on and off the field.
Hear what Garrett had to say in his conference call with the media here.
Among all defensive line prospects, Garrett placed sixth in the 40-yard dash (4.64 seconds), second in the bench press (33 repetitions), first in the vertical jump (41.0 inches) and third in the broad jump (128.0 inches).
Garrett’s selection signified the beginning of the rebuilding process on the defensive side of the ball under new coordinator Gregg Williams, who took over in January after a 2016 season full of struggles.
Last season, the Browns ranked near the bottom of the NFL in several statistical categories, most notably points, yards and rushing yards allowed.
On the field for the fourth-most plays in the NFL, 1,067, this past season, the Browns allowed 392.4 yards and 22.8 first downs per game, and surrendered third-down conversions on 45.1 percent of their opponents’ attempts.
Also, the Browns’ 26 sacks tied for the second fewest in the NFL.
