One of the strongest draft classes in recent history still featured a standout No. 1 overall player, and the stars aligned for him to bring joy to the NFL’s Factory of Sadness. Chris Winterburn investigates the Cleveland Browns’ latest anointed saviour: Myles Garrett.

You may only have to go back three years to find the last defensive end taken with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, but that doesn’t mean it’s commonplace. The reality is that, while pass-rushers are the third-most valuable commodity in the NFL (behind quarterbacks and left tackles), it takes a once-in-a-generation talent to be called by the commissioner as the inaugural selection.

For Jadeveon Clowney in 2014, see Myles Garrett in 2017.

Much like Clowney, Garrett boasts the necessary tools to become the eighth practitioner of this unique trade – hunting quarterbacks – to sit at the summit since 1951. The 21-year-old is a player so gifted, in fact, that he might just bring joy to the ‘Factory of Sadness’.

The moniker given to the city of Cleveland is illustrated perfectly by the continued struggles of a Browns franchise that has recorded just two winning seasons in the last 22 years, stretching back to 1996, the year Art Modell’s relocation of the franchise to Baltimore pulled the rug from under a rebuild gaining steam with Bill Belichick at the helm. That the Ravens have since won as many Super Bowls as the Browns have had campaigns over .500 is only slightly less galling than Belichick subsequently establishing himself as the greatest coach of all-time in New England.

That perpetual feeling of treading water, or simply drowning, has overshadowed fleeting moments of promise that never seem to last, and the fanbase currently has to hope that the Browns’ impressive bevy of 2017 draft picks – stockpiled by the analytics-driven regime which has the gums of NFL people flapping – will not follow down this traditional route.

Cleveland currently hold five selections in the opening two rounds of this loaded draft class, and their commitment to Moneyball means they will draw intrigue aplenty around the league. Yet the initial decision the Browns must make, over which card to hand in first, is the simplest. It should read, ‘Garrett, Myles, Defensive End, Texas A&M’, a player described to Gridiron by former Eagles, Chiefs and Washington scout, Dan Shonka, as ‘unblockable’.

But will his disruption extend to impacting the Brows’ groundhog-day routine, and can he be the saviour? “Myles is a very mature person and player; he is more than capable of handling any pressure put on him by anyone. He holds himself to an even higher standard and puts in the work every single day to be the best professional he can,” explains Texas A&M’s defensive end coach Terry Price to Gridiron.

It is impossible to view Garrett without being awestruck by his size. At 6ft 5ins and 262lbs, the Arlington-born phenom blends his frame with stunning athleticism that was showcased spectacularly at the NFL Scouting Combine. He finished in the top six at his position in the 40-yard dash (joint-fifth), bench press (third), vertical jump (first) and broad jump (fifth), further bolstering stock built up across three NCAA seasons that yielded 31 sacks, including beating Clowney’s SEC single-season freshman record of eight by three takedowns in 2014.

The challenge for NFL teams, though, is to separate statistics from film study, given how numbers can be misleading in the scouting process. Former Chicago Bears scouting director Greg Gabriel reveals: “I never get caught up in the hype created by statistics. I let a player’s tape do the talking.” So just what does the tape look like? “Garrett was a dominating player in 2015 even if he dropped off in 2016.”

If anything, Gabriel is underselling it.

Throw on the film of any game and you’ll be impressed, whether against tough competition like LSU and Arkansas or lower-level outfits such as the San Antonio Roadrunners. It was the latter he saved his most dominant performance for and, while personnel men will judge players against the best, one play in his 4.5-sack day was eye-opening.

Among the biggest questions asked of college players is just how adept they are at reading the game. It is all well and good being physically overpowering, but those lacking football smarts will soon be found out. Garrett showed his innate ability to read the offense as he recognised a QB run play initiated by Dalton Sturm and exploded into action, forcing the overmatched signal-caller to the sideline before hurling him to the ground. In that moment, we were shown the brains and brawn that make Garrett such a hot prospect heading towards April 27, which is something that has former scout Shonka truly excited.

“Myles is a natural and explosive pass-rusher that gives effort on every play. He plays with a great leverage to be able to walk back an offensive tackle towards the quarterback and he can be moved around to take advantage of weak links in opposition teams’ blocking. To sum it up, he can’t be blocked.”

At a time when draft picks are being ripped to shreds like a carcass, with NFL teams digging on everything from childhood fights to ancient injuries, the chatter around Garrett is minimal. What really comes through when talking to people who have worked with the prospect is just how determined he is to be a success. That’s been the case since his days at Martin High School, according to his former head coach Bob Wager. “Myles’ passion, commitment and loyalty are contagious. I saw it when he was in high school, although his transformation into a dominant player didn’t take place until his sophomore year with us – this is when he decided to match his work ethic with his natural athleticism.”

That growth was of benefit to A&M, who found a complete player when Garrett arrived at College Station. “Myles’ production and ability are unlimited but his athletic talents are just the beginning for him; he wants to be a great and that mentality is what separates him from other players,” Coach Price adds. “Not only is Myles a student of life, he is also a leader in the film room. He constantly studies the games of elite NFL players, past and present and I believe he will take to a new scheme quickly and understand what is required of him.”

The question now is what kind of player will the Cleveland Browns have on their hands when, as seems inevitable, Garrett first walks through the door of doom.

Tearful head coach Hue Jackson told reporters in November that Cleveland’s winless season to that point was ‘the hardest thing ever’ and the numbers behind those struggles don’t lie. His Browns had the 31st-ranked defense having given up 6,279 yards by the time the regular-season reached its climax in January, but the problems run far deeper than defensive frailties with the lack of leadership noticeable throughout the year.

A player of Garrett’s ability and position cannot fix things overnight, yet his pro-readiness and desire to help those around him are both attributes that should give the miserable Browns faithful reasons to be optimistic should things remain the same until draft day. There isn’t a culture of winning at the FirstEnergy Stadium. It must be created, and Garrett can help.

“Myles will be the ideal person to help lead a change of culture in a locker room if that is what is required,” adds Price. Those sentiments were echoed by Coach Wager, who made clear that the teenager he worked with in Arlington has no interest other than helping his team to win. “Myles Garrett has three priorities as a player – the team, the team and the team.”

The caveat is that Cleveland have been here too many times before. In 1999, the franchise struggled mightily as they endured an inglorious return to the NFL following a three-year hiatus, their worst-ranked defense giving up 6,046 yards. Hope sprung eternal in the draft, with the Browns pouncing on All-American defensive end Courtney Brown, only for injuries to curtail his career and further deepen the dread in the Sixth City.

Shonka remembers that well and was keen to point towards Garrett’s injury-hit 2016 season as a warning against expecting too much, too soon. “We might be nitpicking here but he was injured this year, you hope that this isn’t a chronic problem as it has been with numerous draft choices over the years and the Browns will be gambling it isn’t after their experience with Courtney Brown years ago. He was a train wreck.”

Yet there is so much to like with Garrett. He has seen his brother, Sean Williams, struggle with focus issues in the NBA – which ultimately cost him his career at the top level and is determined to learn from them. All you hear from those within Garrett’s inner-circle over recent years are positives. There is no controversy lurking in the background but rather a headstrong determination to get ahead. Think Marcus Mariota with an added tendency to leave quarterbacks on the turf. When asked to sum Garrett up in one sentence, Wager responded: “It is his combination of drive, work ethic, selflessness and a team-first attitude that makes him so great.”

These are the traits of a serial winner, attributes of someone who can drag an ailing organisation out of the footballing doldrums. Cleveland is desperate for a success story and so is Garrett. On paper, it is a match made in heaven.

This article originally appeared in Issue XXX of Gridiron magazine – for individual editions or subscriptions, click HERE