NFL 2017 Draft: Cleveland Browns Select Myles Garrett First Overall

CLEVELAND, OH - The Cleveland Browns have selected Myles Garrett, the defensive lineman from Texas A&M, with the first overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. The team went defense again with the 25th pick, selecting safety Jabril Peppers, from Michigan, before trading up into round 1 and selecting Miami tight end David Njoku.

The Browns gave up the second most yards per game during last season, 392.4 yards per game. The defense also surrendered the third most points during the season, giving up 452 points. Garrett could be a big part of fixing the team's leaky defense.

"Big things are coming," Garrett told the city of Cleveland during an interview with ESPN. He then said he was most looking forward to "meeting" Pittsburgh's Big Ben Roethlisberger.

According to sports-reference.com, Garrett had 8.5 sacks during his 2016 season at Texas A&M. He also had 15 tackles for loss, two fumbles for loss, and 33 total tackles. He also posted some eye-popping stats at the NFL Combine, with a 4.64 40 yard dash, 33 reps on the bench press, a 41 inch standing jump, and a 128 inch broad jump.

The Browns traded the 12th overall pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for the 25th overall pick and a 2018 1st rounder from Houston.

With the 25th pick, the team grabbed Peppers from the University of Michigan. Positional questions plagued Peppers leading up to the draft, with scouts questioning whether he was a better fit for linebacker, safety, or hybrid player in the NFL. Now the Browns will have a chance to experiment with the defensive Swiss Army Knife.

The Browns then traded the 33rd and 109th pick to the Green Bay Packers to move back into the first round and grab University of Miami tight end David Njoku. An athletic tight end, Njoku had nearly 700 receiving yards in the 2016 season, while pulling down eight touchdowns.

The team was also rumored to be interested in North Carolina Quarterback Mitch Trubisky, from Mentor, Ohio. Unfortunately, Trubisky went second overall to the Chicago Bears. The Monsters of the Midway traded with San Francisco to move into the second spot and snatch the kid from Mentor.

After a day of wheeling and dealing, the Browns now have five picks to spend in the first two rounds of the 2018 draft, so the front office in Cleveland must feel confident about keeping their jobs at least through next season.

More Draft Background

Some are predicting the team could draft up to three defensive backs to improve the secondary next year. Given the sheer number of picks the team has expect them to be players on draft day. The team could move up to snag specific players.

To learn more about the NFL draft, click here.

Prior to the draft, many Cleveland fans were eagerly debating the merits of drafting Garrett first overall. You can see the anticipation on display in the Tweets below.

The league's 32 teams will draft for seven rounds, beginning Thursday at 8 p.m. Round 1 will take place Thursday night, Rounds 2-3 will be held on Friday, and Rounds 4-7 will wrap things up on Saturday.

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch