Myles Garrett seemed the all but certain #1 overall pick following the NFL combine last month, but creeps of doubt set in among NFL GMs, draft analysts and fans that the Browns could flip and take UNC QB Mitch Trubisky instead.
In fact just in the 24 hours leading up to the draft Thursday night, prop bet odds on the Texas A&M DE going first overall dropped from -1200 to -280 and counting (r/nfl).
But after the intrigue and anticipation of whether Cleveland would pass on the widely regarded best overall player for another hopeful franchise QB, it appears as if the Browns will in fact take Garrett with their pick.
Myles Garrett will the #Browns pick at No. 1, multiple league sources say https://t.co/tMUW7BGISb
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) April 27, 2017
.@MylesLGarrett will be the No. 1 pick in the #NFLDraft by the Browns, per @MaryKayCabot. What do you think of the decision? pic.twitter.com/htvhqGjol4
— clevelanddotcom (@clevelanddotcom) April 27, 2017
Via Cleveland.com –
With the NFL draft just hours away, Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett will be the Browns’ No. 1 pick, multiple league sources tell cleveland.com.
The Browns’ top brass met Thursday afternoon to solidify their plans, but some of them have known for a while that Garrett was the pick.
“You want to make sure that you get a player (at No. 1) that’s going to be an impact player and that we can count on,” Brown told ESPN Wednesday.
Heading into the big day, there had been rumblings that the Browns might surprise the football world and take Mitch Trubisky No. 1, but that won’t be the case.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter even said on Wednesday that he wouldn’t be surprised if Garrett is still the first player off the board, but “I have got very smart, very well-connected people telling me over the last 24 hours that they think Trubisky’s going to be the No. 1 pick.”
Instead, the Browns have been working the phones and will continue to try to trade up for Trubisky from No. 12. They also have the No. 33 and No. 52 overall picks.
But they won’t panic or overspend to get him. Brown told NFL Network on Wednesday “we’re not desperate for a quarterback.”
Trubisky could go as high as No. 2 to the 49ers. If he’s around at No. 5 or No. 6, the Browns could try to jump up to land him.
If they don’t draft Trubisky, they will consider Clemson’s Deshaun Watson and Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes at No. 12. The Browns could also trade back up into the late first round from No. 33 to draft a QB.
They’ve also got three second-round picks in 2018 with which to wheel and deal.
Ultimately, they’re set to land their “generational” pass-rusher with the top pick and their quarterback of the future with their next selection.
If all goes as planned, the Browns will transform their defense and offense in the first round of what Brown has described as a “momentous draft.”
