Myles Garrett, the first-overall pick in last year's NFL Draft, has some advice for whomever the Browns take at No. 1 next week.
"Darn the past. It doesn't matter what position you're in, what people say about the last couple of years or what they think," he said Tuesday. "It's all about how you attack the offseason and attack every practice, and who you are on game day."
Garrett, who had seven sacks in 11 games as a rookie, is set to be joined by another impact player when Cleveland hops on the clock the night of April 26. After the first winless season in franchise history, the Browns own the first and fourth overall picks. Last year, they tabbed Garrett at the top of draft and followed with safety Jabrill Peppers at 25 and tight end David Njoku at 29.
The mantle that comes with being the first-overall pick, however, can be an especially heavy one. Garrett, who joined his teammates for offseason workouts Monday, said he didn’t do enough last year and didn't live up to his own lofty expectations. (To be sure, the former Texas A&M star was slowed by a nagging high-ankle sprain).
While Garrett, who amassed 31 sacks in three seasons with the Aggies and turned in a jaw-dropping combine performance, was considered the unanimous No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft, it's far less clear who the Browns will take at that spot this time around. After years of instability at quarterback, Cleveland is poised to land its signal-caller of the future, whether it's USC's Sam Darnold, UCLA's Josh Rosen, Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield or Wyoming's Josh Allen. It could also grab a playmaking, non-quarterback such as Penn State star running back Saquon Barkley or N.C. State edge rusher Bradley Chubb, who has drawn comparisons to Garrett throughout the pre-draft process.
Garrett, who figures to be a cornerstone for years to come in Cleveland, declined to offer the front office suggestions. He did, however, offer his potential new teammate an important message.
"If you have the mentality that you won't be stopped and that you deserve that ranking and that pick," he said, "then you'll go out there and make a difference."
