The Browns didn’t mess around with the No. 1 pick.
Myles Garrett was the consensus best player in the NFL draft, and Cleveland made sure he didn’t go anywhere else.
Although their biggest need remains a franchise quarterback, the Browns selected Texas A&M’s defensive standout first overall, a pick that had been projected for weeks.
Following a dismal 1-15 season, the Browns are counting on Garrett and this draft — Sashi Brown, the club’s vice-president of football operations called it “momentous” last week — to kick-start their turnaround and possibly end years of football folly for a once-proud franchise. With two first-round picks, two in the second round and one in the third, the Browns have the assets to improve, and possibly to find that elusive QB after starting 26 since 1999.
But that’s been the hope before and years of blown draft picks, particularly in the first round, have hampered the team from making any significant progress.
Browns’ search for QB continues
While the pick of Garrett was expected, the Browns caused some head scratching by passing on a chance to select Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson at No. 12. Instead, they traded the pick to Houston for the No. 25 pick and used it to grab Michigan’s all-purpose defensive dynamo Jabrill Peppers, who fills holes at safety and on returns.
The Browns weren’t done, sending the No. 33 pick to Green Bay for No. 29 and taking Miami tight end David Njoku, a physical playmaker who scored eight touchdowns last season.
Cleveland became the first team to make three picks in the first round, but not using any of them on a quarterback was a surprise.
“We obviously value the position, but we don’t want to force certain positions,” vice-president of football operations Sashi Brown said. “We’ve got a lot of holes to fill on this roster, so this is just about making sure when we get the quarterback it’s someone that we all believe in and get behind and move forward.”
Brown didn’t rule out taking a quarterback in this draft, and said it’s possible the team could bundle its many assets to trade for a veteran QB.
“We won’t rest until we solidify the position,” he said.
The Browns had their eyes on North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky, a local kid who grew up a Cleveland fan, but he was surprisingly selected at No. 2 by the Chicago Bears.
This wasn’t supposed to be strong quarterback class and yet three were chosen in the top 12 picks — but not by the Browns who are already set for next season with two first-round picks and three second-rounders.
“It’s not like we didn’t try,” coach Hue Jackson said. “We’re going to do everything we can to find one.”
Freakish athlete
Garrett, a freakish athlete who has been accused of sometimes taking plays off, could help change that. Cleveland has lacked a dominant defensive player, the kind who can change a game with a sack or punishing hit.
Unlike many of the top picks who were in Philadelphia walking the red carpet and hugging Commissioner Roger Goodell on a stage in front of 70,000 fans, Garrett was with family and friends in Texas when he received a phone call from the Browns telling him he was Cleveland bound.
“It was really just a weight off my shoulders, what I was wishing for has come to fruition,” said Garrett, who wore a Cleveland T-shirt that said “The Heart of Rock ‘N Roll.”
Rebuilding defence
The 6-foot-5, 272-pound Garrett, who recorded 32 1/2 sacks during his three seasons with the Aggies, will join a Browns defence undergoing a much-needed major makeover. The team hired former New Orleans defensive co-ordinator Gregg Williams — of “Bountygate” infamy — this winter and signed linebacker Jamie Collins to a four-year, $50 million US contract, locking up a player they can pair with Garrett to form their defensive foundation.
Cleveland ranked 31st defensively last season and the Browns were 30th in sacks with 26.
Garrett said the call from the Browns came on his mom’s phone because his had “disappeared” during the watch party. Garrett first spoke with Brown before getting on with coach Hue Jackson, who pumped up the 21-year-old.
“He was like, ‘I told you that I wouldn’t leave you hanging. I told you that you were my guy,”‘ Garrett said. “That made my night. Now, I’m just ready to go to work.”
Garrett is aware of recent criticism about his game, including remarks by Hall of Famer Warren Sapp, who called him “lazy.”
“It does not matter what they say. It matters what the pads say, what the grind says when we finally get to the season — how much work you want to put in, how hard you want to prepare,” Garrett said. “That will speak volumes when you finally get there.”
