In what’s a bit of damage control and a bit of a case of microphones just finding him, top NFL Draft prospect Myles Garrett said Saturday that he wants to be the first pick in the 2017 draft -- and clarified that he doesn’t care which team holds that pick.
"[Where I go] doesn’t matter at all,” Garrett told FOX26 in Houston before the Lombardi Awards banquet. “I mean, it matters if it’s the first pick or not. That’s where I want to go. I want to hold myself to the highest standard, and that’s No. 1.
“Whoever is No. 1, I want to play for them.”
The Browns hold the No. 1 pick. Garrett had said on an ESPN.com video earlier in the week that he hoped the Cowboys, his hometown team, would trade up to No. 1 and select him. After that video created a buzz on social media, Garrett said he would “definitely” play for the Browns if they take him and also clarified previous comments about not wanting to play in a cold-weather city.
“I’ll play wherever they put me,” he said. “And that’s the mindset. You go in with a mindset that you’re going to turn things around, you can make that contagious, and people start to believe in it, you can turn into a winning program wherever you go.”
The 2016 Lombardi Award winner will be announced later Saturday night. In a semi-interesting coincidence that certainly means nothing, the Browns drafted the last two winners of the Lombardi Award in last year’s draft, 2015 winner Carl Nassib in the third round and 2014 winner Scooby Wright in the seventh.
The other finalists for the 2016 Lombardi Award are Alabama defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, Michigan utility man Jabrill Peppers and Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson.