The cast of top prospects who gather in Philadelphia for the NFL draft this year as guests of the league, and ultimately are greeted by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on stage after their selection, might be missing at least one of the draft's elite talents.
Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett intends to stay home and watch the draft from Arlington, Texas, according to the Houston Chronicle. We're still more than two months away from the draft, and the NFL doesn't announce which players will attend the draft until April. However, Garrett intends to watch the event with his parents and family and said he won't change his mind, per the Chronicle.
"I know at the draft you can only have a select amount of people there," Garrett told the Chroncile. "I knew I wanted to have everybody who's ever affected my life positively and helped build me up all the way to where I am now -- I wanted them to see what I've achieved and be a part of this big moment in my life."
Last year, 25 top prospects attended the draft, including a record-tying five from Ohio State.
Although the group of players who attend the draft are always considered among the draft's top prospects, and most are selected in the first round, Garrett's decision isn't ground-breaking. Two years ago, the No. 1 pick of the 2015 draft, Jameis Winston, opted out of the chance to attend the draft in person because his grandmother was unable to travel for health reasons. The No. 2 pick that year, Marcus Mariota, also stayed home for the draft.
Garrett, who entered the draft as an underclassman, has been projected as the No. 1 overall pick of the Cleveland Browns by NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
