There is no doubt that Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett is one of the best defensive lineman in the league, but where is he ranked when put up against others in the league? According to Gilberto Manzano’s list of the Top-10 defensive linemen in the league right now, fourth.
From those ranked on this list, only Garrett can say he’s been a No. 1 pick in an NFL draft. After taking Garrett first in 2017, the Browns have been rewarded with five consecutive seasons of 10-plus sacks from the four-time Pro Bowler. The 6’4″, 272-pound Garrett has combined his strength and athleticism to become a matchup nightmare for opposing offensive lines. He’s coming off back-to-back seasons of at least 16 sacks and had an impressive 33 quarterback hits in ’21. The 27-year-old Garrett also paced all edge defenders last season with a 92.5 defense grade from Pro Football Focus.
Those ranking ahead of Myles Garrett? Micah Parsons, Aaron Donald, and Nick Bosa. Ranking Parsons ahead of Garrett is an interesting choice considering he is really more of a pass rushing linebacker according to Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Still valuable and an important part of their defense, but not a true defensive lineman. Semantics aside, Garrett being ranked fourth in the NFL is pretty impressive considering the volume of players at the position and the only three ahead of him being some of the best defensive players in the league.
The Browns clearly have a good one in Myles Garrett and it is lists like this (and others) that back that up. Now it is up to the rest of the defense and new coordinator Jim Schwartz to provide the adequate support that has been mostly absent during Garrett’s time in Cleveland.