There's a long way to go before we get to draft day in the spring, but we know this for certain: If Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett enters the 2017 draft, he'll have plenty of teams salivating over him. The club that is currently in the best position to secure the No. 1 overall pick reportedly will be chief among them.
The Browns, who hold a one-game lead in the race for the draft's top choice, have an "astronomical grade" on Garrett, per ESPN. They probably aren't alone. One of the words most commonly used to describe Garrett: freak. In fact, NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared Garrett to "The Freak" (former Titans DE Jevon Kearse) earlier this year.
Garrett was hobbled by an ankle injury for much of the 2016 season and recorded a career-low 8.5 sacks, but when five NFL executives were asked to identify the top player in this season's Alabama-Texas A&M game (a contest loaded with future pro stars), they were unanimous in selecting Garrett.
The junior has yet to announce his intentions for the 2017 draft. He said last week that he thinks he knows what he'll do, and that being projected as a top-three pick would potentially seal the deal for early draft entry.
Of course, Cleveland's most glaring need is at QB, where it's long been searching for an answer, but the Browns might see more value in taking another avenue to address that position rather than locking in at QB with their top pick. Cleveland also holds the Eagles' first-round pick in 2017 (which currently is pick No. 9), and it could also pursue a trade for a young veteran like Jimmy Garoppolo or AJ McCarron.
There's not a lot of enthusiasm in the scouting community for the QBs that could be in the 2017 class. A Browns scout has spent an "inordinate amount of time" scouting Notre Dame QB DeShone Kizer, according to ESPN. He, too, has yet to announce his intentions for the 2017 draft, and the consensus from scouts seems to be that there will be no slam-dunk franchise player at quarterback available in '17, no matter which underclassmen apply for and are granted early eligibility, which could ultimately benefit Garrett.
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