Defensive end Myles Garrett was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the first pick of the National Football League Draft in Philadelphia on Thursday.
The 21-year-old Garrett, who played college football for Texas A&M and is considered an elite edge rusher with rare explosiveness, joins a Browns team that went a league-worst 1-15 last season.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made the announcement after being showered with boos in his welcome words from the estimated 70,000 that packed the area stretching from the main stage in an open-air theater built on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Garrett, who has drawn comparisons to longtime NFL standout Julius Peppers, had 11.5 sacks as a freshman and the next season was a finalist for the Lombardi and Hendricks Awards as college football’s top defender with 12.5 sacks and five forced fumbles. Despite a knee injury early in 2016, Garrett was still named a first-team All-American as a junior with 15 tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks in 11 games.
The first big surprise of the night did not take long as it came with the second pick when the Chicago Bears traded with the San Francisco 49ers to leapfrog them to number two and select quarterback Mitchell Trubisky from North Carolina.
“I didn’t see it coming at all, it’s been a mystery,” Trubisky told NFL Network after the stunning selection. “I’m so happy to be a Chicago Bear.”
Trubisky made only 13 career starts at North Carolina, throwing 41 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his college career.
The 49ers named their man, then defensive end Solomon Thomas, who played his college career at nearby Stanford.
Also on The Globe and Mail
powered by sue.ng a legal search engine