Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett became the program’s first No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick when the Cleveland Browns selected him with the first pick of the 2017 NFL Draft Thursday evening.
Garrett was the highest NFL Draft pick in school history, surpassing the previous best of No. 2 overall by five Aggies: Luke Joeckel in 2013, Von Miller in 2011, Quentin Coryatt in 1992, John David Crow in 1958 and John Kimbrough in 1941.
“He is very deserving and worthy of this honor and has earned being the first Aggie to ever be drafted No. 1 overall in the NFL draft,” Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin said. “He is an outstanding football player, a terrific teammate and an even better person. We are very proud of Myles.”
Congrats & Gig 'em to @MylesLGarrett for being selected 1st overall by the @Browns in the #NFLDraft! Whoop! @AggieFootball #12thMan pic.twitter.com/ebCXD4PsF3
— Texas A&M University (@TAMU) April 28, 2017
In addition to being the school’s first-ever No. 1 overall pick, Garrett’s selection extends the team’s streak of years with at least one first-round pick to seven seasons, which is a school record and ranks as the second-longest active streak in college football.
“Cleveland is getting a smart young player who wants to be the very best,” Sumlin added. “He will work hard in the film room, the weight room and on the field. He is very coachable and is eager to learn. He took that approach his entire time with the Aggies.
“Myles is a tremendous teammate. A great example of his perseverance and willingness to compete was after he was injured in our Arkansas game. He could have shut it down the rest of the season, but he worked hard to get back on the field. Even though he wasn’t 100 percent, he gave everything he had the remainder of the season including the bowl game.”
“With the first pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select … Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M. “
Watch #NFLDraft on @nflnetwork https://t.co/QnP1wQuVgE
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 28, 2017
Garrett becomes the seventh NFL first-round pick of the Sumlin era at Texas A&M, joining Joeckel in 2013, Jake Matthews, Mike Evans and Johnny Manziel in 2014, Cedric Ogbuehi in 2015 and Germain Ifedi in 2016. Garrett is the 14th Texas A&M player to be drafted since Sumlin took over the reins at the school in 2012.
Garrett, who was an all-state selection at Arlington Martin High School, concluded his Texas A&M career as one of the most decorated and disruptive defenders in school history. Garrett became the ninth player in school history to earn unanimous first-team All-America honors in 2016, and he also was a finalist for the Bednarik and Rotary Lombardi Awards. He led the Aggies with 8.5 quarterback sacks and 15.0 tackles for loss in 2016 and also contributed two forced fumbles and 10 QB hurries.
He finished his three-year Texas A&M career with 145 total tackles, including 48.5 tackles for loss and 32.5 QB sacks. He also generated 30 QB pressures and seven forced fumbles. During his career, Garrett was a Freshman All-American, two-time first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection, two-time first-team All-American and a finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Ted Hendricks Award. He was voted the team’s Defensive MVP all three seasons at Texas A&M (he shared the 2016 honor with Justin Evans).
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This story was originally posted on 12thman.com.