Myles Garrett Will Be a Finalist for Defensive Player of the Year
Myles Garrett was one of the few bright spots during the Browns hopeless 2017 season. The Texas A&M alum and former No. 1 overall pick tallied 31 tackles and 11 sacks over nine starts. The young pass rusher had runs of pure dominance over stretches last season and will only get better as he continues to gain more experience.
Here are what other experts in NFL circles are saying about Garrett heading into 2018:
Andy Benoit, MMQB: “Myles Garrett is special—he’s not quite as pure of an edge-bender as a Von Miller or a Joey Bosa, but he might become the league’s most explosive interior attacker. A multi-directional burst and violent hands make Garrett dominant on inside moves from defensive end or on up-the-field moves from defensive tackle.”
Willie McGinest, NFL.com: “I don’t think there’s a player at Garrett’s position who has his combination of size (6-foot-4, 272 pounds), strength, speed, explosiveness and athleticism. He can lean and bend like a linebacker in a defensive end’s body. He uses his hands extremely well — he has solid swipe and up-and-under moves. Garrett still recorded seven sacks in an injury-riddled, 11-game rookie campaign. If the 2017 No. 1 overall draft pick can stay healthy and plays a full season, I expect him to have a tremendous year as he gets more experience.”
Austin Gayle, Pro Football Focus: “A freak athlete at 6-foot-5, 271 pounds, Garrett often blew by opposing offensive tackles in his debut season, flashing his explosive burst off the snap. He recorded 37 total pressures, including seven sacks, 11 hits and 13 hurries, across 290 pass-rush snaps in 2017. His 10.2 pass-rush productivity rating ranked 31st among all NFL edge defenders with 250-plus pass-rush snaps.”
If Garrett can accumulate 11 sacks on the Browns winless 2017 team, he should have no problem improving those numbers with the added talent that has been injected into the defense. The new depth in the secondary will have a huge impact on the defensive line. Look out for Myles Garrett in 2018 defensive player of the year voters.
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