Myles Garrett

Garrett added to his personal accolades in 2023, as he earned his first AP Defensive Player of the Year award. From an output perspective, Garrett's production fell in terms of both total tackles and sacks. In part, that was due to him being held out of Cleveland's final game of the regular season, but the more likely explanation was due to a shoulder injury that had noticeable impacts on his performance Weeks 12 and 13. In addition to having time recover from the shoulder issue, Garrett's underlying skills suggest there was no decline in skill or ability to disrupt opposing offenses. Most notably, Garrett total career highs in both quarterback pressures (86) and hurries (57), while matching his career-best in fumbles forced (4). If he can get through a healthy season, expect his statistical production to bounce back to his 2021 and 2022 levels.

Garrett put together another incredible season as the top dawg in the Browns' pass rush last season, becoming the first player since J.J. Watt in 2014-15 to record consecutive 16-sack seasons. Garrett finished eighth in the league with 38 QB pressures, just ahead of Za'Darius Smith's 37, so it's fitting that the veteran will now bookend him in Cleveland. Smith should provide a big upgrade on Jadeveon Clowney if he can stay healthy, and any attention he can draw will only make Garrett that much more dangerous. The 2017 first overall pick has five consecutive seasons with double-digit sacks, and a sixth seems well within reach.

Garrett is reliably elite, and any fluctuation in production year to year is almost entirely the product of playing time. New QB Deshaun Watson should help his stats — a quick-scoring Browns offense would force opponents to throw more, giving Garrett a higher percentage of pass-rush reps in his snap count. He’s not a lock to be DL1 in IDP leagues, but he won’t hurt you if you take him first among defensive linemen.

Already in his fifth season, Garrett has been a mainstay among the league's top defenders since entering the league but still hasn't reached his ceiling. The last two years he totaled 22 sacks on 1,313 snaps over his age-23/24 seasons. Missed time in both seasons made his numbers look more modest, though. That sack rate applied to the 1,013 snaps he played in his second year projects to 17 sacks. An outcome like that is probably in the cards for Garrett, and his age-25 season is as good a time as ever, especially if the Browns gain leads that force opponents to throw.

Assuming he keeps his anger in check, Garrett will likely break out to an All-Pro season in 2020. As much as his judgment might be questionable, his talent and productivity are beyond any question. With plus conditioning and the ability to play upwards of 1,000 snaps, Garrett's top-shelf per-snap production leaves open the possibility of a memorable IDP season. Even if he makes no improvement on his per-snap numbers, Garrett's career production to this point would project to roughly 47 tackles and 14 sacks on 950 snaps. On the other hand, considering he'll be only 25 shortly after Christmas, we probably should project some improvement in Garrett's per-snap production.

Garrett's breakout as an elite defensive end is a matter of when and not if, and it'd make plenty of sense if that occurred in his third NFL season. Garrett has 20 sacks on 1,532 career snaps, and he just turned 23 around the new year. As much as Garrett might be the primary concern of offensive lines, a loaded Cleveland front seven will give him plenty of help, and a presumably strong Cleveland offense should force opponents to throw often and open themselves that much more to the threat posed by Garrett.

While he's not as established as other veteran defensive lineman IDPs, Garrett is a consensus candidate to reach the top tier at some point. That point may be now. He was the first overall pick for a reason, and that he posted seven sacks on 520 snaps at 21 years old means he should compete for All-Pro distinction in 2018. Garrett was arguably a better prospect than even Bosa was, and he's a confirmed elite athlete at 6-4, 272. There's zero reason for caution here.

Garrett might be a 21-year-old rookie, but he's good enough to prove an immediate standout. At 6-4, 272, he boasts defensive back-like athleticism with a 4.64 40, 41-inch vertical and 128-inch broad jump. He has a massive wingspan with 35 and 1/4-inch arms, too. The Browns might not have enough leads for Garrett to go nuts as a pass rusher, but he should provide a solid tackle total even if he doesn't get to double-digit sacks. It's easy to make the case that Garrett is an even better prospect than 2014 first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney was.