Myles Garrett wants to be the top dog in the NFL among pass rushers, and has been penciled in for quite some time now as the best prospect in the 2017 NFL Draft.
When Myles Garrett reported to his NFL Combine press conference last month, many scouts already had the edge rusher projected as the top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. When questioned on the importance of being the No. 1 pick, Garrett answered with confidence.
"It shows I'm top dog, at least from the beginning," Garrett said. "Once I'm in the NFL I can't just, you know, hang my hat on that. I have to keep on rising."
Garrett finished his junior season at Texas A&M with 33 tackles (15 for loss), 8.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 10 games,capping his collegiate career with 47 tackles for loss and 31 sacks. He was one of nine Texas A&M players invited to Indianapolis for the NFL Combine and hopes to carry the skills he learned while at College Station with him to the next level.
"They instilled in me a work ethic that I don't think many others have," he said. "They said be comfortable in an uncomfortable zone. You have to get out of your comfort zone to become a great player. I just carried that with me to A&M and tried to become the best player on the field, and hopefully I can show that here. Anybody who picks me up will get that same thing."
One of the few knocks in the defensive lineman's game is his effort level on certain plays and situations.
But for the top prospect in this year's draft, Garrett wants to prove that his effort is not a problem and thought video of him saying he would like to be picked by the Dallas Cowboys was blown out of proportion.
"I didn't think it would be taken so seriously, so I wouldn't really want to talk about it," he said of the video. "Just talk about being maybe No. 1 and proving I can be."
The highly touted defensive lineman wants to become a complete player and when asked what he wants to improve on the most, the 6-foot-4, 272 pounds, Garrett answered, "skill and consistency."
The 21-year-old also understands the pressure and value of a game-changing defensive lineman, especially one that could be drafted first-overall.
"You have to be a game-changer," Garrett said. "You have to be able to turn the tide of a game at any given time. Somebody who, when it's third-and-15 and maybe it's the fourth quarter and we need a stop to get the ball back, they put you in and say you're the guy. That's how good you have to be."
As Garrett prepares to play at the next level, many scouts have compared him to top NFL pass rushers including Julius Peppers, Von Miller and Jadeveon Clowney, but Garrett wants to set the bar higher.
"I want to be compared to the greatest," Garrett said. "So, I want to have stats and everything I've done today and tomorrow compare with the best guys in the league and some of the greatest of all time… but I'm holding my bar pretty high."
Garrett swayed back and forth during the entirety of his press conference and tried to hold in his smile until he was asked which quarterback would he like to sack the most, Garrett replied, "Tom Brady."
When asked why he smirked and answered, "I'm a Peyton Manning fan."
