Myles Garrett

Draft Rumors: Browns, 49ers, Bears, Pack

March 30th, 2017 at 7:05pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Browns will host Ohio State safety Malik Hooker for a pre-draft visit Friday, reports Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. The club is “very high on” Hooker and is considering taking him in the first round, adds Cabot, who notes that it might not be in position to land him. The Browns are likely to take Texas A&M edge rusher Myles Garrett first overall, and Hooker could be off the board when their second selection (No. 12) arrives. Hooker underwent surgeries to repair a sports hernia and a torn labrum Jan. 31, causing him to miss the combine, but he’s still likely to come off the board in the first 10 picks.

In advance of its meeting with Hooker, Cleveland ran Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson through a private workout on the road Thursday, according to Cabot. Watson may well be the Browns’ pick at No. 12.

More of the latest draft notes:

Garrett has upcoming visits with the 49ers and Bears, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The Niners pick at No. 2 and the Bears are at No. 3, so it’s doubtful either will land Garrett. But it seems the 49ers would jump at the chance of selecting him, as 49ers general manager John Lynch said Thursday at Garrett’s pro day that he “checks all of the boxes” (via Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area).
Add the Packers to the list of teams at least considering drafting Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon. The Pack brought Mixon in for a visit earlier this week, relays Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). At least two teams – the Patriots and Dolphins – have already ruled out a Mixon selection.
The Panthers recently worked out Alabama outside linebacker Ryan Anderson, a source told Matt Zenitz of AL.com (via Twitter). Anderson could be a second-round target for the Panthers, who own the 40th pick.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Latest On Browns’ Draft Plans

March 24th, 2017 at 5:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns remain expected to take Myles Garrett with their No. 1 overall pick, and the team has already observed the Texas A&M edge defender during a private workout, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports. However, more mystery surrounds Cleveland’s second first-round selection.

Acquired after the Eagles traded up to take Carson Wentz, the Browns’ designs for the No. 12 pick appear to be rather quarterback-centric at this point. Cleveland’s brass conducted private workouts with both DeShone Kizer and Patrick Mahomes. The Browns are also expected to observe Mitchell Trubisky and Deshaun Watson soon but will do so privately. The team has been skipping pro days in lieu of focusing on potential draft targets privately. Hue Jackson did attend Malik Hooker‘s in Columbus, however.

While the Kizer has been rated as the better prospect, with the Notre Dame passer almost unanimously expected to go off the board in Round 1, the Browns are believed to prefer Mahomes. Cabot reports the Browns indeed like the Texas Tech air raid conductor better than Kizer and notes both are under consideration, along with Watson and Trubisky, for Cleveland’s No. 12 overall choice.

In addition to the private workouts, the Browns plan to bring top prospects to their Berea, Ohio, headquarters for official visits. Unless one of the quarterbacks “blows the team away” during the next month, Cabot writes the Browns are expected to take Garrett and focus on aerial help after that pick.

Mahomes’ status may be the most difficult to pin down of the upper-tier quarterback prospects. Given a second-round grade, the ex-Red Raiders signal-caller has been linked to a possible early first-round 1 selection as well. Three teams with aging quarterbacks — the Saints, Chargers and Cardinals — each are interested as well.

The Browns have also been linked to Jimmy Garoppolo with their No. 12 pick and have been attached to Watson and Trubisky during the draft process, the Clemson passer in particular with the No. 12 pick.

Browns “Blown Away” By Myles Garrett’s Combine

March 5th, 2017 at 2:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns have understandably eyed Myles Garrett for a while, but now that the Texas A&M-honed pass-rusher showcased some of his skills at the Combine, the team is moving closer to making him the No. 1 overall pick. Browns personnel were “blown away” by Garrett’s Sunday showing, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports, adding that Garrett impressed the team with his interview as well.

Cabot reports the Browns are close to making Garrett the choice atop the draft, this coming after Mitch Trubisky appeared to re-enter the race for Cleveland’s top pick. Trubisky is a Cleveland-area native and plays the position the Browns obviously need most, but Cabot notes the Browns “probably won’t” be able to pass on the draft’s consensus top player.

Garrett weighed 272 pounds and ran a 4.64-second 40-yard dash, which is the fifth-best mark ever for a defensive lineman weighing at least 270 pounds. The former Aggie coupled that with 33 bench press repetitions. Although dealing with a shoulder issue, Alabama defensive tackle Jonathan Allen — another player whom the Browns are considering at No. 1 — repped 225 pounds 21 times. Garrett’s 41-inch vertical jump was the highest for a 270-pound D-lineman since Mario Williams in 2006.

Cabot adds that new Browns DC Gregg Williams “loves” Garrett, with a source comparing him to former Williams protege, Jevon Kearse.

“They’re both freaks,” the source told Cabot. “And Kearse changed the Titans’ franchise.”

Deshaun Watson is the fourth player the Browns are considering with the No. 1 overall pick, per Cabot, but the buzz Garrett generated on Sunday looks to have clearly put him in the lead here.

Extra Points: 2018 QBs, Watt, Gronk, Garrett

February 18th, 2017 at 10:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the 2017 class of rookie quarterbacks carrying potentially significant risk, a strategy to eye the 2018 class may enter the mind of some decision-makers as the draft nears. But a college scouting director told TheMMQB.com’s Albert Breer the ’18 crop won’t be without risk, either, so hoping an Andrew Luck-type player emerges will be a gamble.

“I’d say no on [UCLA’s Josh] Rosen,” said a college scouting director, via Breer, regarding the class of 2018’s potential to produce a franchise quarterback, with Breer adding “off-field issues” and a nerve injury may be presently holding Rosen back. “[USC’s Sam] Darnold, I like a lot, but needs to repeat that this year. He wasn’t good enough to start the season at USC — Why? And Josh [Allen, of Wyoming] needs to make a lot of strides to be considered a top guy. He’s talented, but not accurate.”

Rosen will be draft-eligible in 2018. Darnold will be a redshirt sophomore in 2017, and Allen a junior. An AFC scouting director told Breer a strategy of waiting for this group instead of gambling on the current one would need a committed owner, but the method may fall short due to it simply being too far away to predict these younger passers’ futures.

Here’s more from around the league.

A trade of J.J. Watt would be one of the more earth-shattering scenarios the NFL could produce, but Joel Corry of CBSSports.com discussed this hypothetical gargantuan Texans deal with executives who didn’t think it was laughably unrealistic. Houston’s defense improved statistically without Watt, finishing first in total defense, and the team needs help offensively. One exec said it would take two first-round picks for the Texans to consider it, likening a Watt return package similar to that of a franchise quarterback. Another hypothetical deal involved the Texans including Brock Osweiler‘s contract in a trade and accepting less compensation in return. Corry adds that Jadeveon Clowney will likely receive a contract extension in 2018 for an amount eclipsing Watt’s six-year, $100MM deal. Corry projects that would induce a new Watt contract since it wouldn’t be realistic to have a three-time defensive player of the year be the second-highest-paid defender on his own team.
Taking said Internet-breaking premise further: Corry discussed with execs a Watt-for-Rob Gronkowski exchange, with the Patriots — in the mind of a league exec — needing to include more than just their No. 32 overall pick in addition to Gronk to make the Texans consider that deal. Another exec couldn’t picture the teams doing this trade due to Gronkowski’s extensive injury history.
Myles Garrett‘s lack of consistency has drawn questions from some NFL personnel, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com (video link). The Texas A&M edge-rushing maven piling up statistics against inferior competition — 16 of his 31 career sacks came against Texas-San Antonio, Rice, Louisiana-Monroe, Lamar and Nevada — and disappearing for times in bigger spots, makes some curious about his reliability. Cabot is not certain Garrett will be the first player taken despite the Browns’ reported “astronomical grade” on the ex-Aggie. This runs counter to Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller noting Garrett beginning to distance himself from the pack. This draft’s quarterback scrutiny could tilt the scales in Garrett’s favor.
Cameron Wake‘s two-year, $19MM extension will not have a factor on Lorenzo Alexander‘s potential UFA deal, Corry tweets, noting the disparity between the two aging players’ careers. Wake, 35, has four double-digit sack seasons and has been the Dolphins’ premier sack artist this decade while Alexander, 33, emerged from nowhere to lead the Bills with 12.5 last year.

Draft Rumors: Garrett, Williams, McKinley

February 17th, 2017 at 5:24pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Texas A&M pass rusher Myles Garrett is beginning to “pull away” from the rest of the 2017 draft class, an unnamed NFL general manager tells Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, adding Garrett is becoming just as clear a No. 1 pick as quarterback Andrew Luck was in 2012. The Browns hold that first overall selection and reportedly have an “astronomical grade” on Garrett, so Cleveland likely agrees with one director of player personnel who believes using the No. 1 pick on someone other than Garrett would be a mistake. “Passing on Garrett is like passing on a young Bruce Smith,” the executive told Miller. “You don’t pass on a kid like that.”

Here’s more from the 2017 draft:

Alabama edge rusher Tim Williams could end up slipping to the second round, as one NFL scout tells Miller. “We’re worried about [his] weight and love of the game,” said the evaluator. “His combine weigh-in will be really huge.” Citing questions about “character and decision-making,” Miller writes Williams could fall to Day 2 even though he flashes top-20 ability. Williams, who was arrested on a gun charge in September, posted 18.5 sacks over the past two years in Tuscaloosa, but doesn’t rate among Miller’s top 50 prospects (though other analysts, such as Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN.com, rank Williams as the draft’s second-best outside linebacker).
The 2017 quarterback class is widely considered the worst since at least 2013, and one area scout indicated to Miller that he wouldn’t feel comfortable with any of Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, DeShone Kizer, or a host of others leading his franchise. “All the quarterbacks … [are] terrible,” said the scout. “I wouldn’t want to put my job on the line for any quarterback in this class. And to think about taking one in the first round? No way. I’m sure someone will do it, but it’s mind-blowing.”
UCLA linebacker Takkarist McKinley could require shoulder surgery following the combine, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com, who adds no “definitive determination” has been made in regards to McKinley’s health status. McKinley, a two-year starter for the Bruins, racked up 10 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, and 3 forced fumbles in 2016. A projected first-round pick, McKinley ranks as the best available outside linebacker in the 2017 class, per Todd McShay of ESPN.com.
NFL teams are frustrated that red-flag players such as Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly and Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon were not invited to the combine, according to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (Twitter link) and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “Any of these guys with question marks need to be vetted,” one source told Florio. Kelly, for what it’s worth, may still travel to Indianapolis, perhaps with the hope of meeting with clubs outside of the combine structure, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes.

Draft Notes: Garrett, Trubisky, Mixon

February 11th, 2017 at 10:00am CST by Ben Levine

Myles Garrett is a candidate to picked first-overall in the upcoming draft, but the Texas A&M defensive end is hoping a specific team with a late first-rounder will make a deal to select him. In a video published on ESPN.com, Garrett urged Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to make a deal to acquire the talented defensive lineman.

“I’m speaking to you, Jerry,” Garrett said (via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com). “Mr. [coach Jason] Garrett, make it happen. Dak Prescott is leading our team right now. I need you to take Tony Romo, take a couple picks and give them to Cleveland so you can pick me up. Please. I’d love to play in Dallas. Just make it happen.”

Of course, following those comments, Garrett had to backtrack and clarify that he’d be fine being selected by the Browns with the top pick in the draft.

“People might say they’re this, they’re that or I made a comment about cold weather and they kind of put it toward Cleveland,” Garrett explained. “It doesn’t matter to me. I’ll play wherever they put me, and it’s about your mindset. If you go out there with a mindset that you’re going to turn things around, you can make that contagious and people start to believe in it, you can turn into a winning program wherever you go.”

Let’s take a look at some other notes pertaining to this year’s draft class…

While Alabama’s Cam Robinson and Wisconsin’s Ryan Ramczyk were previously considered to be the best offensive tackles in the draft, Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller believes Utah lineman Garett Bolles is now the top prospect at the position. While the 24-year-old’s age may hurt his draft stock, Miller points to Robinson’s lack of production and Ramczyk’s injury concerns as reasons why Bolles could be the first offensive tackle selected. In fact, the writer believes the Utah lineman could be taken in the first 10 or 15 picks.
While there are questions regarding the top quarterback prospect in this year’s draft, one general manager told Miller that UNC signal-caller Mitch Trubisky is “a top-five lock.” While Trubisky is competing with Deshaun Watson and DeShone Kizer to be the first quarterback selected, Miller believes most teams regard the UNC product as the top prospect at the position.
Alex Marvez of The Sporting News points out (via Twitter) that only 16 quarterbacks were invited to this year’s NFL Scouting Combine. There are generally 19 or 20 signal-callers who participate in the event, and Marvez believes the low numbers are indicative of the “projected quality at the position.”
Despite some recent talk to the contrary, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) says that many teams already view Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon as undraftable. The offensive weapon certainly has the skill, as he finished this past season with 1,274 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on only 187 carries. Of course, troubling off-the-field issues have clouded Mixon’s draft status.
Ole Miss wide receiver Damore’ea Stringfellow was not invited to the combine, reports Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (via Twitter). Stringfellow pleaded guilty to assault following a 2014 altercation, and he was also charged with disorderly conduct in early 2015. The wideout finished this past season with 46 catches for 716 yards.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Myles Garrett Declares For Draft

December 31st, 2016 at 9:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Viewed as a strong candidate for the No. 1 overall pick in April, Texas A&M edge defender Myles Garrett will declare for the upcoming draft, according to ESPN.com (Twitter link).

This does not come as a surprise, with the Aggies top prospect already making comments about the kind of NFL city in which he’d like to play. The Browns would not be one of the junior pass-rusher’s preferred destinations, Cleveland being quite cold in certain months, but Garrett has been on the 1-14 team’s radar for a while. The Browns placed an “astronomical” grade on Garrett. A Cleveland loss or 49ers win Sunday gives the Browns the No. 1 selection.

Garrett finished his third season in College Station, Texas, with 8.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. The 8.5 sacks represent Garrett’s lowest single-season total, although he struggled with an ankle injury this season, but give him 31 for his career. The 6-foot-5, 262-pound performer profiles as a 4-3 defensive end or 3-4 outside linebacker. He finishes his college run with 47.5 tackles for loss.

He will be entering as one of the youngest players in the draft, turning 21 just two days ago. Garrett rates behind only Leonard Fournette on ESPN.com draft analyst Todd McShay’s big board (Insider link).

AFC Notes: Bills, Browns, Jags, Bengals, Colts

December 29th, 2016 at 9:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Rex Ryan was a beloved players’ coach with the Jets from 2009-14, but it doesn’t seem that was fully the case during his nearly two-year run in Buffalo. Reacting to the Bills’ Tuesday decision to fire Ryan, one defensive player informed Bleacher Report’s Tyler Dunne, “That was music to my ears.” Similarly, some other Bills never bought into Ryan and felt he tore down the elite defense he inherited in 2015, according to Dunne (Twitter links). On the other side of the ball, wide receiver Sammy Watkins told the team’s official website that a “culture change” will be in order with Ryan’s successor. “Change the culture, change the mindset and get players on board,” he said. “If they’re not listening, cut them, kick them out, whatever. Sit them on the bench. I think that will help us move forward.”

Browns Eyeing Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett

December 11th, 2016 at 10:47am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Browns are increasingly likely to secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft (Football Outsiders gives Cleveland an 80.5% chance of picking first), and instead of targeting a quarterback, the club may look to improve its defense with the selection. The Cleveland front office has an “astronomical grade” on Texas A&M edge rusher Myles Garrett, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

Garrett, 20, is listed as the top 2017 collegiate prospect on nearly every draft guru’s big board, and is a lock to be chosen in the top-five of next year’s draft. At 6’5″, 265 pounds, Garrett should have the ability to play either defensive end in a 4-3 scheme or outside linebacker in a 3-4 look, and the Browns (who play the latter front), are reportedly “enamored” with the Aggie junior, per Schefter.

Although he’s been hampered by an early-season ankle injury, Garrett has still managed to post 8.5 sacks in nine games this year, bringing his career total to 31 in 33 contests.A first-team All-American in 2016, Garrett has previously been compared to NFL pass rushers such as Von Miller, Joey Bosa, and the retired Javon Kearse. “Generational player. Nothing he can’t do. Scheme-wrecker. Complete player,” one area scout told Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com earlier this year.

The Browns aren’t completely abandoning the idea of drafting a quarterback early, however, and scout Lake Dawson has been spending an “inordinate” amount of time in South Bend scouting Notre Dame signal-caller DeShone Kizer, reports Schefter, who notes that Cleveland does hold an extra first-round pick thanks to a trade with Philadelphia. Previous reports have also indicated that the Browns are focusing their efforts on North Carolina QB Mitch Trubisky, another projected first-round pick.

Draft Notes: Garrett, Kizer, Davis, Sutton, TEs

October 22nd, 2016 at 7:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

A surefire candidate to be picked in the top five of the 2017 draft, Myles Garrett has drawn widespread praise and descriptive comparisons. The Texas A&M junior pass-rusher has been likened to Von Miller, a more explosive Joey Bosa, or an upgraded Jevon Kearse who’s 25 pounds heavier, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com reports of various league personnel’s opinions of the Aggie superstar.

“Generational player. Nothing he can’t do. Scheme-wrecker. Complete player,” one area scout told Breer regarding Garrett, who looks like the clubhouse favorite to go No. 1 overall in the event a quarterback does not.

Although he didn’t improve on the four sacks he’s notched this season today in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Garrett registered 3.5 tackles for loss in No. 1 Alabama’s 33-14 win over No. 6 Texas A&M. At least one edge-rushing talent has gone off the board in the top five in five of the past six drafts, and Garrett looks like the next in that line.

Here’s more on the draft, beginning with the positions that appear to be the strongest and weakest.

Wide receivers may not be the plentiful commodity they’ve been in the recent past, with this prospect pool not proving to be deep thus far, NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks and Daniel Jeremiah note. While the duo views the latest wide receiver named Mike Williams as a top-flight talent out of Clemson, a bevy of similar players has yet to emerge for the 2017 draft. Although, it’s still early, and over the past few years receivers have proven to be more NFL-ready than they’ve ever been. Jeremiah categorizes edge defender, running back, safety and tight end as the deepest in next year’s projected draft pool, based on conversations with NFL personnel, with safeties and tight ends being particularly plentiful. “If you need a safety, there’s no excuse for you to leave this draft without one,” an NFC scout told Jeremiah. As for offensive linemen in an era where the lack of NFL-ready blockers has become commonplace as practice reps have shrunk, a league exec told Jeremiah the next crop of tackles is among the shallowest in years.
One quarterback scouts have been impressed with comes out of Notre Dame, with DeShone Kizer garnering interest as a franchise passer-type prospect, Brooks writes. “He has all of the traits that you look for at the position: size, athleticism, IQ and arm talent,” an AFC personnel executive said, via Brooks. “But you have to see if he is ready for the jump. Is he ready to be the guy?” The 6-foot-4 junior has completed 58 percent of his passes — down four percentage points from 2015 — and thrown for 14 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. Kizer’s blend of arm strength and just enough athleticism intrigues teams, per Brooks.
Brooks envisions Western Michigan wideout Corey Davis as a player ready to become the next in a line of standout MAC-produced targets, behind Randy Moss, Greg Jennings and Antonio Brown. His conference’s all-time receiving leader, the senior 6-3, 213-pound player’s advanced route-running ability will make him “a nightmare” to guard professionally, Brooks writes. In four years with the Broncos, Davis has totaled 278 receptions for 4,430 yards and 43 aerial TDs. Davis already has 10 end zone grabs in seven games this season, and Brooks uses his impressive sample against Big Ten teams as evidence the skill set isn’t limited to feasting on mid-major secondaries.
Another small-school wideout drawing praise as a potential No. 1 NFL receiver: SMU’s Courtland Sutton, whom Breer describes as a physical pass-catcher capable of becoming a No. 1 target in the league. Although, the 6-4, 215-pound redshirt sophomore is far more raw than Davis due to his limited experience and injury-delayed career. “He’s a big, explosive receiver with a great catch radius,” said one AFC personnel exec. “He’s been flying under the radar because the quarterback is bad, but we all know about him.”