Myles Garrett

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.”