Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns and spent 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast." Find him on Twitter @WilliamsonNFL.
At 1-15, the Cleveland Browns were the worst team in the NFL last year and earned the first overall pick. This year, they look every bit as bad and it's difficult to dispute that they remain the worst team in the league after a month of games. Not only are the Browns winless, but only the Indianapolis Colts have been outscored by a greater margin than Cleveland.
But there is some good news on the horizon. With that No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft, Cleveland selected ultra-prospect Myles Garrett. After injuring his ankle leading into opening week, Garrett was sidelined for the first four weeks of the season. But he's expected to debut against the New York Jets on Sunday - and that's truly exciting news for Browns fans.
Of course it will be great to watch and evaluate Garrett in live action during the regular season, but what do we think the Browns have in this 21-year-old? The short answer is: The best edge defender prospect to enter the NFL since Julius Peppers. Garrett has superstar written all over him.
Evaluating Garrett can be somewhat mundane because the reality of it is that he simply has everything you look for in a premier defensive end. Garrett is 6-foot-4 and plays in the 270-pound range, but ran a 4.64 40-yard dash. And get this: He jumped 41 inches in the vertical and 120 inches in the broad jump. In case you aren't on top of such things, those are insane results.
And the thing is, Garrett plays that fast and explosive on tape. And Garrett's agility is truly rare. He has speed, power, fluid and violent change of direction, as well as an ability to anchor versus the run, although that isn't his specialty. Garrett also is a very good tackler when run at, in pursuit, or when putting a quarterback on the ground.
He's an elite specimen that mostly plays up to that extreme talent even though he was dealing with a knee injury during his final season at Texas A&M. His hustle during that campaign probably could have been better, but we are nitpicking a little there. He could stand to work on his hand placement and ability to string pass-rush moves together after his first attempt fails. Those things should come before long if he takes to coaching at this level.
Only six teams have fewer sacks than Cleveland through four weeks - and two of them, Miami and Tampa Bay, have played one fewer game than the Browns. Garrett should be a very welcome addition to say the least. This young man has Pro Bowl written all over him. Many Pro Bowls, in fact.
