Myles Garrett's Athletic Comparables Are Incredible
The 2017 iteration of the NFL Draft has plenty of intriguing storylines, but one thing looks to be clear.
Pretty much everywhere you look, Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett is projected to go first overall to the Cleveland Browns.
Based on his body of work at Texas A&M (31.0 sacks, 141 tackles, and 47 tackles for loss), Garrett has been in the mix for the first overall selection, but an outstanding combine results solidified his case even more.
| Myles Garrett | Value |
|---|---|
| Height (in) | 76 |
| Weight (lb) | 272 |
| 40-Yard Dash (sec) | 4.64 |
| Bench (reps) | 33 |
| Vertical Leap (in) | 41 |
| Broad Jump (in) | 128 |
According to our database, Garrett's combine performance puts him in stellar company relative to other first-round picks since 2000 at the edge rusher positions.
| Year | Player | Draft Pick | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Khalil Mack | Round 1, Pick 5 | 87.34% |
| 2005 | DeMarcus Ware | Round 1, Pick 11 | 85.83% |
| 2000 | Brian Urlacher | Round 1, Pick 9 | 84.34% |
| 2010 | Sean Weatherspoon | Round 1, Pick 19 | 83.55% |
| 2009 | Brian Cushing | Round 1, Pick 15 | 82.11% |
| 2009 | Aaron Curry | Round 1, Pick 4 | 80.38% |
| 2003 | Nick Barnett | Round 1, Pick 29 | 80.07% |
| 2010 | Jerry Hughes | Round 1, Pick 31 | 79.08% |
| 2009 | Clay Matthews | Round 1, Pick 26 | 78.09% |
| 2002 | Napoleon Harris | Round 1, Pick 23 | 77.43% |
Of the 177 edge rushers drafted in the first round since 2000, DeMarcus Ware, Clay Matthews, and Khalil Mack rank top-nine in sacks per game. Of the top-10 comparables, only Jerry Hughes ranks outside the top 40 in tackles per game, suggesting a pretty high floor for Garrett at the next level.
Mack, Matthews, Ware, and Brian Urlacher all rank 13th or better by ProFootballReference's Approximate Value per game in this group, as well.
The Browns can certainly use an improved pass rush, as they ranked 32nd in the NFL in pass defense, according to our Net Expected Points (NEP) metric. They ranked 30th in sack rate and 32nd FootballOutsiders' adjusted sack rate.
If for whatever reason the Browns pass on Garrett, then the San Francisco 49ers (26th in Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP per play and 29th in adjusted sack rate) could be landing a massive steal because if history repeats itself, Garrett could be a truly special player at the NFL level.
