2017 NFL Mock Draft: Myles Garrett to the Cleveland Browns is the No. 1 pick

Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M

Hot take: the Browns are the most interesting team in football right now. Though far from being the best or the fastest rising team in the league, this organization has finally put a plan in place that might eventually allow them to make the playoffs and, barring another Jimmy Haslam temper tantrum, compete for a Super Bowl. They may have been out of their f***king minds wrong about Carson Wentz, but a lot of what they're doing makes perfect sense.

Personally, I love this Browns regime; the hiring of Moneyball genius Paul DePodesta ushered in a Hinkie-like "process" oriented era in Cleveland—one where we saw them repeatedly trade down to acquire more picks, and most recently "buy" a second round pick from the Texans in exchange for Brock Osweiler's bloated contract. The Browns don't need the cap space, something they have plenty of at the moment, and acquiring that pick gives them yet another asset to use in their talent acquisition phase.

Maybe they'll consolidate picks in an effort to acquire Jimmy Garappolo, A.J. McCarron, or some other QB, but I think they'll stick to their guns, and continue adding talent to this roster through the draft—which brings me to this pick:

With the 1^st overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M

Myles Garrett has been unanimously proclaimed the best player in this draft, and it isn't close. There are clearly no QB's in this class worthy of this pick, and the Browns are too early in "The Process" to reach for a signal caller at this juncture. Instead, they stand pat and select a cornerstone pass rusher who has drawn comparisons to Julius Peppers.

At 6'4" and 272 lbs, Garrett is a ridiculous athlete for his size. He ran a 4.64 second 40-yard dash, put up 33 reps of 225 lbs in the bench press, leapt 41" in the vertical and a staggering 10'8" in the broad jump. For reference, this guy basically ran the same 40 time as Florida CB Jalen "Teez" Tabor, despite outweighing him by about 75 lbs.

Garrett isn't just a freak athlete, though; his athleticism is reflected in his production. He scored 11.5 sacks as a freshman, before finishing his sophomore year with 19.5 tackles for loss and tying for second in the FBS with 12.5 sacks and five forced fumbles. He fought through a minor knee injury this past season, but was still named first-team All-American and All-SEC with "just" 15 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks in 11 games (9 starts).

Garrett projects to be an elite edge rusher at the next level, something that is both difficult to find and an incredible asset to a football team. We all know that there is no such thing as a "sure thing" in the NFL draft, but Garrett is just about as close as it gets. The Browns have more than likely already made up their minds about this pick, and are salivating at the thought of having Garrett lining up across from Jamie Collins for the next 5 years.

Make the pick, Sashi. #TTP

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2017 BGN Mock Draft Order

1) Browns (JALupowitz): Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
2) 49ers (sports00fan00):
3) Bears (gubby):
4) Jaguars (TheWhalwing):
5) Titans (drc242):
6) Jets (boomorbust):
7) Chargers (NowWhat?):
8) Panthers (B-Potts):
9) Bengals (Kiko’s Delivery Service):
10) Bills (jimmyrustler):
11) Saints (NotSoSlick):
12) Browns (Straight Edge Sid):
13) Cardinals (Paulie97):
14) Eagles (ablesser88):
15) Colts (mconner96):
16) Ravens (The Man, The Myth, the Matthews!):
17) Washington (kbruneault):
18) Titans (mchiodo):
19) Buccaneers (ei78):
20) Broncos (NVEaglesShark):
21) Lions (Shark Fighter):
22) Dolphins (J. Wil):
23) Giants (BigWardy59):
24) Raiders (big DUB):
25) Texans (GotFunds):
26) Seahawks (Rogmcc23):
27) Chiefs (B1G Cat):
28) Cowboys (RegalEagle):
29) Packers (Wutang_):
30) Steelers (General_Lee12): 
31) Falcons (SirJon):
32) Saints (Huffs_cellmate):