Myles Garrett Becomes Program's First No. 1 Overall Draft Pick
Apr 27, 2017 | Football
PHILADELPHIA--Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett became the program's first No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick when the Cleveland Browns selected him with the first pick of the 2017 NFL Draft Thursday evening.
Garrett was the highest NFL Draft pick in school history, surpassing the previous best of No. 2 overall by five Aggies: Luke Joeckel in 2013, Von Miller in 2011, Quentin Coryatt in 1992, John David Crow in 1958 and John Kimbrough in 1941.
"He is very deserving and worthy of this honor and has earned being the first Aggie to ever be drafted No. 1 overall in the NFL draft," Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin said. "He is an outstanding football player, a terrific teammate and an even better person. We are very proud of Myles."
In addition to being the school's first-ever No. 1 overall pick, Garrett's selection extends the team's streak of years with at least one first-round pick to seven seasons, which is a school record and ranks as the second-longest active streak in college football.
"Cleveland is getting a smart young player who wants to be the very best," Sumlin added. "He will work hard in the film room, the weight room and on the field. He is very coachable and is eager to learn. He took that approach his entire time with the Aggies.
"Myles is a tremendous teammate. A great example of his perseverance and willingness to compete was after he was injured in our Arkansas game. He could have shut it down the rest of the season, but he worked hard to get back on the field. Even though he wasn't 100 percent, he gave everything he had the remainder of the season including the bowl game."
Garrett becomes the seventh NFL first-round pick of the Sumlin era at Texas A&M, joining Joeckel in 2013, Jake Matthews, Mike Evans and Johnny Manziel in 2014, Cedric Ogbuehi in 2015 and Germain Ifedi in 2016. Garrett is the 14th Texas A&M player to be drafted since Sumlin took over the reins at the school in 2012.
Garrett, who was an all-state selection at Arlington Martin High School, concluded his Texas A&M career as one of the most decorated and disruptive defenders in school history. Garrett became the ninth player in school history to earn unanimous first-team All-America honors in 2016, and he also was a finalist for the Bednarik and Rotary Lombardi Awards. He led the Aggies with 8.5 quarterback sacks and 15.0 tackles for loss in 2016 and also contributed two forced fumbles and 10 QB hurries.
He finished his three-year Texas A&M career with 145 total tackles, including 48.5 tackles for loss and 32.5 QB sacks. He also generated 30 QB pressures and seven forced fumbles. During his career, Garrett was a Freshman All-American, two-time first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection, two-time first-team All-American and a finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Ted Hendricks Award. He was voted the team's Defensive MVP all three seasons at Texas A&M (he shared the 2016 honor with Justin Evans).
Texas A&M's NFL First-Round Picks (by order)
Texas A&M's NFL First-Round Picks (by year)
QUOTES - TEXAS A&M COACH KEVIN SUMLIN
On Myles Garrett being selected No. 1 overall in the NFL draft:
"He is very deserving and worthy of this honor and has earned being the first Aggie to ever be drafted No. 1 overall in the NFL draft. He is an outstanding football player, a terrific teammate and an even better person. We are very proud of Myles."
What is Cleveland getting?
"Cleveland is getting a smart young player who wants to be the very best. He will work hard in the film room, the weight room and on the field. He is very coachable and is eager to learn. He took that approach his entire time with the Aggies.
Myles is a tremendous teammate. A great example of his perseverance and willingness to compete was after he was injured in our Arkansas game. He could have shut it down the rest of the season, but he worked hard to get back on the field. Even though he wasn't 100 percent, he gave everything he had the remainder of the season including the bowl game."
How would you describe Myles off of the football field?
"Myles is one of kind. A lot of credit goes to his family. He is an intelligent person with a number of interests outside of football. He has a wide range of music interests, loves to write poetry and we all know of his interest in dinosaurs. And, what doesn't get talked about as much is his love of helping others. But make no mistake, he also loves to compete and wants to be the best at what he does."
On if he thought there might be a chance he would not be the No. 1 overall selection:
"You have to be ready for all possibilities. I was hoping for the best outcome. I was trying to just be ready for anything."
On his first reaction and emotions being the Browns' selection:
"It was really just a weight off of my shoulders to finally just get the announcement that what I have been working for is finally came to fruition and I can actually know where I am going, know who I am going up against and know the schedule. Now, it's time to put in that work so I can be prepared to go against the best."
On his phone call with Executive Vice President Sashi Brown and the Browns:
"He had to call my mother's phone. My phone kind of disappeared throughout the night, and I finally got it back. He asked if it was me, and I was like, 'Yeah.' He was like, 'Congratulations on being a Cleveland Brown.' I knew it was that time. They had not announced it yet, but I knew it was coming. Then he handed the phone to (Head Coach) Hue (Jackson) and he was like, 'I told you that I wouldn't leave you hanging. I told you that you were my guy.' That made my night. Now, I'm just ready to go to work."
On his first impression of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams when:
"He's intense. I know that he knows what he is talking about. He's definitely smart. He knows the game very well. He going to put me into position to make plays. I just have to listen and make sure that I become his right-hand man and make sure that I am there every day and after practice, before practice just trying to become a better player with my technique not only with my craft on the field but with my intelligence of the game off of the field."
On being a part of the Browns' new foundation:
"They picked me because they think they see something in me, and they know that I can help them rebuild and turn this program around. That's the mindset that we have to have. Starting next year, we can put the pieces together, not only the players but with a mindset that we can actually do this. I know that the players there have that same mindset. I am going to keep that feeling contagious. I'm just prepared for that."
On his NFL goals and how great he wants to be:
"I want to be the best. The only thing holding me back is me. I have to learn from the veterans, just pick everybody's brain to know what they did and to stay on track, to stay focused and not get off track at all with their goals and their dreams. Going for the rookie sack record and those lofty goals is something that I want to do, but I just want to be the best from Day 1. That takes hard work. That takes going against the best like (OL) Joe Thomas and listening and learning from your mistakes from the day before and picking up tips from him, the offensive tackles and my fellow D linemen."
On which NFL defensive ends he emulates:
"(Broncos DL) Von Miller, definitely, (Texans DL) JJ Watt, (Panthers DL Julius) Peppers, and (former NFL DL) Demarcus Ware. Those are the guys that I usually look up to the most and try to study the game the most."
On Jackson saying he was his guy all along, if he believed him and the draft process with the Browns:
"I believed him. I don't have any reason to think that he would do me wrong. I just believed in what he was saying. He said I was his guy after we had dinner and that he was not going to guarantee anything, but he said, 'If you do the right things, you have a great chance of being a Brown.' That is what I have been looking forward to, and I am ready to go."
On his reaction to Warren Sapp's comments and if criticisms in the pre-draft process motivate him, as well as his mom's comments on them:
"It definitely does. It adds more fuel to the fire. It is burning hot right now. Everybody thinks that they can count us out or count me out. That is not true for either of those statements. 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. That will speak volumes when you finally get there. It is another season, and nobody is the same."
On having his draft party at home with his family, friends, Bruce Smith and Randy Moss:
"Bruce Smith came to my door, and we went over film and had a little lunch – one of my very favorite pass rushers of all time. Just having him here, teaching me how I can do better, it was great. There is stuff I can work on. You saw the little plays where I did not give all my effort, and was tired and I did not sprint all the way through the ball. Those are plays that you can see, and that motivates you to do better. You are not going to have great plays every single time. You have to build off the little details and the weaknesses. Randy Moss is one of my favorite players of all time. To see him, it kind of blew my mind. It kind of showed me that this night was not only special for one reason."
On watching the rest of the first round closely to see who will join him on the Browns:
"This will probably be the first time I will watch the draft all the way through, but they are my team now. I am looking forward to becoming part of the family and getting to know them very well. I have to know who else they want to get and how they can affect my job and what we can do to make each other better."
Garrett was the highest NFL Draft pick in school history, surpassing the previous best of No. 2 overall by five Aggies: Luke Joeckel in 2013, Von Miller in 2011, Quentin Coryatt in 1992, John David Crow in 1958 and John Kimbrough in 1941.
With the first pick.... #12thMan #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/XXl4VcL3cx
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) April 28, 2017
"With the first pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select … Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M. "
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 28, 2017
Watch #NFLDraft on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/QnP1wQuVgE
— Myles Garrett (@MylesLGarrett) April 28, 2017
"He is very deserving and worthy of this honor and has earned being the first Aggie to ever be drafted No. 1 overall in the NFL draft," Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin said. "He is an outstanding football player, a terrific teammate and an even better person. We are very proud of Myles."
In addition to being the school's first-ever No. 1 overall pick, Garrett's selection extends the team's streak of years with at least one first-round pick to seven seasons, which is a school record and ranks as the second-longest active streak in college football.
HISTORY MADE. @MylesLGarrett becomes Texas A&M's first player to go No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft.#NFLAggies #ItsAboutUs pic.twitter.com/7aNn8bAJZ7
— AggieFBLife (@aggiefblife) April 28, 2017
"Cleveland is getting a smart young player who wants to be the very best," Sumlin added. "He will work hard in the film room, the weight room and on the field. He is very coachable and is eager to learn. He took that approach his entire time with the Aggies.
"Myles is a tremendous teammate. A great example of his perseverance and willingness to compete was after he was injured in our Arkansas game. He could have shut it down the rest of the season, but he worked hard to get back on the field. Even though he wasn't 100 percent, he gave everything he had the remainder of the season including the bowl game."
Welcome to Cleveland, Myles Garrett!https://t.co/xijtGu0Wk2#BrownsDraft pic.twitter.com/Jsa1qKTbEe
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 28, 2017
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 28, 2017
Garrett becomes the seventh NFL first-round pick of the Sumlin era at Texas A&M, joining Joeckel in 2013, Jake Matthews, Mike Evans and Johnny Manziel in 2014, Cedric Ogbuehi in 2015 and Germain Ifedi in 2016. Garrett is the 14th Texas A&M player to be drafted since Sumlin took over the reins at the school in 2012.
Garrett, who was an all-state selection at Arlington Martin High School, concluded his Texas A&M career as one of the most decorated and disruptive defenders in school history. Garrett became the ninth player in school history to earn unanimous first-team All-America honors in 2016, and he also was a finalist for the Bednarik and Rotary Lombardi Awards. He led the Aggies with 8.5 quarterback sacks and 15.0 tackles for loss in 2016 and also contributed two forced fumbles and 10 QB hurries.
He finished his three-year Texas A&M career with 145 total tackles, including 48.5 tackles for loss and 32.5 QB sacks. He also generated 30 QB pressures and seven forced fumbles. During his career, Garrett was a Freshman All-American, two-time first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection, two-time first-team All-American and a finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Ted Hendricks Award. He was voted the team's Defensive MVP all three seasons at Texas A&M (he shared the 2016 honor with Justin Evans).
Texas A&M's NFL First-Round Picks (by order)
| Player | Pos. | Overall | Team | Year |
| Myles Garrett | DE | 1 | Cleveland Browns | 2017 |
| Luke Joeckel | OL | 2 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 2013 |
| Von Miller | LB | 2 | Denver Broncos | 2011 |
| Quentin Coryatt | LB | 2 | Indianapolis Colts | 1992 |
| John David Crow | RB | 2 | Chicago Cardinals | 1958 |
| John Kimbrough | RB | 2 | Chicago Cardinals | 1941 |
| Ray Childress | DL | 3 | Houston Oilers | 1985 |
| Curtis Dickey | RB | 5 | Baltimore Colts | 1980 |
| Jim Thomason | RB | 5 | Detroit Lions | 1941 |
| Jake Matthews | OL | 6 | Atlanta Falcons | 2014 |
| Mike Evans | WR | 7 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2014 |
| Ryan Tannehill | QB | 8 | Miami Dolphins | 2012 |
| Sam Adams | DL | 8 | Seattle Seahawks | 1994 |
| Larry Stegent | RB | 8 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1970 |
| Bob Goode | RB | 8 | Washington Redskins | 1949 |
| Richmond Webb | OL | 9 | Miami Dolphins | 1990 |
| Bubba Bean | RB | 9 | Atlanta Falcons | 1976 |
| Charles Krueger | DL | 9 | San Francisco 49ers | 1958 |
| Jacob Green | DL | 10 | Seattle Seahawks | 1980 |
| Aaron Glenn | DB | 12 | New York Jets | 1994 |
| Patrick Bates | DB | 12 | Los Angeles Raiders | 1993 |
| Ty Warren | DL | 13 | New England Patriots | 2003 |
| Reggie Brown | LB | 17 | Detroit Lions | 1996 |
| Kevin Smith | DB | 17 | Dallas Cowboys | 1992 |
| Robert Jackson | LB | 17 | Cleveland Browns | 1977 |
| Maurice Moorman | OL | 19 | Kansas City Chiefs | 1968 |
| Cedric Ogbuehi | OL | 21 | Cincinnati Bengals | 2015 |
| Roger Vick | RB | 21 | New York Jets | 1987 |
| Tim Gray | DB | 21 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1975 |
| Johnny Manziel | QB | 22 | Cleveland Browns | 2014 |
| Rod Bernstine | TE | 24 | San Diego Chargers | 1987 |
| Greg Hill | RB | 25 | Kansas City Chiefs | 1994 |
| Billy Cannon | LB | 25 | Dallas Cowboys | 1984 |
| Sammy Davis | DB | 30 | San Diego Chargers | 2003 |
| Germain Ifedi | OL | 31 | Seattle Seahawks | 2016 |
Texas A&M's NFL First-Round Picks (by year)
| Player | Pos. | Overall | Team | Year |
| Myles Garrett | DE | 1 | Cleveland Browns | 2017 |
| Germain Ifedi | OL | 31 | Seattle Seahawks | 2016 |
| Cedric Ogbuehi | OL | 21 | Cincinnati Bengals | 2015 |
| Jake Matthews | OL | 6 | Atlanta Falcons | 2014 |
| Mike Evans | WR | 7 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2014 |
| Johnny Manziel | QB | 22 | Cleveland Browns | 2014 |
| Luke Joeckel | OL | 2 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 2013 |
| Ryan Tannehill | QB | 8 | Miami Dolphins | 2012 |
| Von Miller | LB | 2 | Denver Broncos | 2011 |
| Ty Warren | DL | 13 | New England Patriots | 2003 |
| Sammy Davis | DB | 30 | San Diego Chargers | 2003 |
| Reggie Brown | LB | 17 | Detroit Lions | 1996 |
| Sam Adams | DL | 8 | Seattle Seahawks | 1994 |
| Aaron Glenn | DB | 12 | New York Jets | 1994 |
| Greg Hill | RB | 25 | Kansas City Chiefs | 1994 |
| Patrick Bates | DB | 12 | Los Angeles Raiders | 1993 |
| Quentin Coryatt | LB | 2 | Indianapolis Colts | 1992 |
| Kevin Smith | DB | 17 | Dallas Cowboys | 1992 |
| Richmond Webb | OL | 9 | Miami Dolphins | 1990 |
| Roger Vick | RB | 21 | New York Jets | 1987 |
| Rod Bernstine | TE | 24 | San Diego Chargers | 1987 |
| Ray Childress | DL | 3 | Houston Oilers | 1985 |
| Billy Cannon | LB | 25 | Dallas Cowboys | 1984 |
| Curtis Dickey | RB | 5 | Baltimore Colts | 1980 |
| Jacob Green | DL | 10 | Seattle Seahawks | 1980 |
| Robert Jackson | LB | 17 | Cleveland Browns | 1977 |
| Bubba Bean | RB | 9 | Atlanta Falcons | 1976 |
| Tim Gray | DB | 21 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1975 |
| Larry Stegent | RB | 8 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1970 |
| Maurice Moorman | OL | 19 | Kansas City Chiefs | 1968 |
| John David Crow | RB | 2 | Chicago Cardinals | 1958 |
| Charles Krueger | DL | 9 | San Francisco 49ers | 1958 |
| Bob Goode | RB | 8 | Washington Redskins | 1949 |
| John Kimbrough | RB | 2 | Chicago Cardinals | 1941 |
| Jim Thomason | RB | 5 | Detroit Lions | 1941 |
QUOTES - TEXAS A&M COACH KEVIN SUMLIN
On Myles Garrett being selected No. 1 overall in the NFL draft:
"He is very deserving and worthy of this honor and has earned being the first Aggie to ever be drafted No. 1 overall in the NFL draft. He is an outstanding football player, a terrific teammate and an even better person. We are very proud of Myles."
What is Cleveland getting?
"Cleveland is getting a smart young player who wants to be the very best. He will work hard in the film room, the weight room and on the field. He is very coachable and is eager to learn. He took that approach his entire time with the Aggies.
Myles is a tremendous teammate. A great example of his perseverance and willingness to compete was after he was injured in our Arkansas game. He could have shut it down the rest of the season, but he worked hard to get back on the field. Even though he wasn't 100 percent, he gave everything he had the remainder of the season including the bowl game."
How would you describe Myles off of the football field?
"Myles is one of kind. A lot of credit goes to his family. He is an intelligent person with a number of interests outside of football. He has a wide range of music interests, loves to write poetry and we all know of his interest in dinosaurs. And, what doesn't get talked about as much is his love of helping others. But make no mistake, he also loves to compete and wants to be the best at what he does."
QUOTES - MYLES GARRETT (courtesy Cleveland Browns)
On if he thought there might be a chance he would not be the No. 1 overall selection:
"You have to be ready for all possibilities. I was hoping for the best outcome. I was trying to just be ready for anything."
On his first reaction and emotions being the Browns' selection:
"It was really just a weight off of my shoulders to finally just get the announcement that what I have been working for is finally came to fruition and I can actually know where I am going, know who I am going up against and know the schedule. Now, it's time to put in that work so I can be prepared to go against the best."
On his phone call with Executive Vice President Sashi Brown and the Browns:
"He had to call my mother's phone. My phone kind of disappeared throughout the night, and I finally got it back. He asked if it was me, and I was like, 'Yeah.' He was like, 'Congratulations on being a Cleveland Brown.' I knew it was that time. They had not announced it yet, but I knew it was coming. Then he handed the phone to (Head Coach) Hue (Jackson) and he was like, 'I told you that I wouldn't leave you hanging. I told you that you were my guy.' That made my night. Now, I'm just ready to go to work."
On his first impression of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams when:
"He's intense. I know that he knows what he is talking about. He's definitely smart. He knows the game very well. He going to put me into position to make plays. I just have to listen and make sure that I become his right-hand man and make sure that I am there every day and after practice, before practice just trying to become a better player with my technique not only with my craft on the field but with my intelligence of the game off of the field."
On being a part of the Browns' new foundation:
"They picked me because they think they see something in me, and they know that I can help them rebuild and turn this program around. That's the mindset that we have to have. Starting next year, we can put the pieces together, not only the players but with a mindset that we can actually do this. I know that the players there have that same mindset. I am going to keep that feeling contagious. I'm just prepared for that."
On his NFL goals and how great he wants to be:
"I want to be the best. The only thing holding me back is me. I have to learn from the veterans, just pick everybody's brain to know what they did and to stay on track, to stay focused and not get off track at all with their goals and their dreams. Going for the rookie sack record and those lofty goals is something that I want to do, but I just want to be the best from Day 1. That takes hard work. That takes going against the best like (OL) Joe Thomas and listening and learning from your mistakes from the day before and picking up tips from him, the offensive tackles and my fellow D linemen."
On which NFL defensive ends he emulates:
"(Broncos DL) Von Miller, definitely, (Texans DL) JJ Watt, (Panthers DL Julius) Peppers, and (former NFL DL) Demarcus Ware. Those are the guys that I usually look up to the most and try to study the game the most."
On Jackson saying he was his guy all along, if he believed him and the draft process with the Browns:
"I believed him. I don't have any reason to think that he would do me wrong. I just believed in what he was saying. He said I was his guy after we had dinner and that he was not going to guarantee anything, but he said, 'If you do the right things, you have a great chance of being a Brown.' That is what I have been looking forward to, and I am ready to go."
On his reaction to Warren Sapp's comments and if criticisms in the pre-draft process motivate him, as well as his mom's comments on them:
"It definitely does. It adds more fuel to the fire. It is burning hot right now. Everybody thinks that they can count us out or count me out. That is not true for either of those statements. 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. That will speak volumes when you finally get there. It is another season, and nobody is the same."
On having his draft party at home with his family, friends, Bruce Smith and Randy Moss:
"Bruce Smith came to my door, and we went over film and had a little lunch – one of my very favorite pass rushers of all time. Just having him here, teaching me how I can do better, it was great. There is stuff I can work on. You saw the little plays where I did not give all my effort, and was tired and I did not sprint all the way through the ball. Those are plays that you can see, and that motivates you to do better. You are not going to have great plays every single time. You have to build off the little details and the weaknesses. Randy Moss is one of my favorite players of all time. To see him, it kind of blew my mind. It kind of showed me that this night was not only special for one reason."
On watching the rest of the first round closely to see who will join him on the Browns:
"This will probably be the first time I will watch the draft all the way through, but they are my team now. I am looking forward to becoming part of the family and getting to know them very well. I have to know who else they want to get and how they can affect my job and what we can do to make each other better."
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