PHILADELPHIA–Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett became the program’s first No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick when the Cleveland Browns selected him with the first pick of the 2017 NFL Draft Thursday evening.
Garrett was the highest NFL Draft pick in school history, surpassing the previous best of No. 2 overall by five Aggies: Luke Joeckel in 2013, Von Miller in 2011, Quentin Coryatt in 1992, John David Crow in 1958 and John Kimbrough in 1941.
“He is very deserving and worthy of this honor and has earned being the first Aggie to ever be drafted No. 1 overall in the NFL draft,” Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin said. “He is an outstanding football player, a terrific teammate and an even better person. We are very proud of Myles.”
In addition to being the school’s first-ever No. 1 overall pick, Garrett’s selection extends the team’s streak of years with at least one first-round pick to seven seasons, which is a school record and ranks as the second-longest active streak in college football.
“Cleveland is getting a smart young player who wants to be the very best,” Sumlin added. “He will work hard in the film room, the weight room and on the field. He is very coachable and is eager to learn. He took that approach his entire time with the Aggies.
“Myles is a tremendous teammate. A great example of his perseverance and willingness to compete was after he was injured in our Arkansas game. He could have shut it down the rest of the season, but he worked hard to get back on the field. Even though he wasn’t 100 percent, he gave everything he had the remainder of the season including the bowl game.”
Garrett becomes the seventh NFL first-round pick of the Sumlin era at Texas A&M, joining Joeckel in 2013, Jake Matthews, Mike Evans and Johnny Manziel in 2014, Cedric Ogbuehi in 2015 and Germain Ifedi in 2016. Garrett is the 14th Texas A&M player to be drafted since Sumlin took over the reins at the school in 2012.
Garrett, who was an all-state selection at Arlington Martin High School, concluded his Texas A&M career as one of the most decorated and disruptive defenders in school history. Garrett became the ninth player in school history to earn unanimous first-team All-America honors in 2016, and he also was a finalist for the Bednarik and Rotary Lombardi Awards. He led the Aggies with 8.5 quarterback sacks and 15.0 tackles for loss in 2016 and also contributed two forced fumbles and 10 QB hurries.
He finished his three-year Texas A&M career with 145 total tackles, including 48.5 tackles for loss and 32.5 QB sacks. He also generated 30 QB pressures and seven forced fumbles. During his career, Garrett was a Freshman All-American, two-time first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection, two-time first-team All-American and a finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Ted Hendricks Award. He was voted the team’s Defensive MVP all three seasons at Texas A&M (he shared the 2016 honor with Justin Evans).
Texas A&M’s NFL First-Round Picks (by order)
| Player | Pos. | Overall | Team | Year |
| Myles Garrett | DE | 1 | Cleveland Browns | 2017 |
| Luke Joeckel | OL | 2 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 2013 |
| Von Miller | LB | 2 | Denver Broncos | 2011 |
| Quentin Coryatt | LB | 2 | Indianapolis Colts | 1992 |
| John David Crow | RB | 2 | Chicago Cardinals | 1958 |
| John Kimbrough | RB | 2 | Chicago Cardinals | 1941 |
| Ray Childress | DL | 3 | Houston Oilers | 1985 |
| Curtis Dickey | RB | 5 | Baltimore Colts | 1980 |
| Jim Thomason | RB | 5 | Detroit Lions | 1941 |
| Jake Matthews | OL | 6 | Atlanta Falcons | 2014 |
| Mike Evans | WR | 7 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2014 |
| Ryan Tannehill | QB | 8 | Miami Dolphins | 2012 |
| Sam Adams | DL | 8 | Seattle Seahawks | 1994 |
| Larry Stegent | RB | 8 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1970 |
| Bob Goode | RB | 8 | Washington Redskins | 1949 |
| Richmond Webb | OL | 9 | Miami Dolphins | 1990 |
| Bubba Bean | RB | 9 | Atlanta Falcons | 1976 |
| Charles Krueger | DL | 9 | San Francisco 49ers | 1958 |
| Jacob Green | DL | 10 | Seattle Seahawks | 1980 |
| Aaron Glenn | DB | 12 | New York Jets | 1994 |
| Patrick Bates | DB | 12 | Los Angeles Raiders | 1993 |
| Ty Warren | DL | 13 | New England Patriots | 2003 |
| Reggie Brown | LB | 17 | Detroit Lions | 1996 |
| Kevin Smith | DB | 17 | Dallas Cowboys | 1992 |
| Robert Jackson | LB | 17 | Cleveland Browns | 1977 |
| Maurice Moorman | OL | 19 | Kansas City Chiefs | 1968 |
| Cedric Ogbuehi | OL | 21 | Cincinnati Bengals | 2015 |
| Roger Vick | RB | 21 | New York Jets | 1987 |
| Tim Gray | DB | 21 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1975 |
| Johnny Manziel | QB | 22 | Cleveland Browns | 2014 |
| Rod Bernstine | TE | 24 | San Diego Chargers | 1987 |
| Greg Hill | RB | 25 | Kansas City Chiefs | 1994 |
| Billy Cannon | LB | 25 | Dallas Cowboys | 1984 |
| Sammy Davis | DB | 30 | San Diego Chargers | 2003 |
| Germain Ifedi | OL | 31 | Seattle Seahawks | 2016 |
Texas A&M’s NFL First-Round Picks (by year)
| Player | Pos. | Overall | Team | Year |
| Myles Garrett | DE | 1 | Cleveland Browns | 2017 |
| Germain Ifedi | OL | 31 | Seattle Seahawks | 2016 |
| Cedric Ogbuehi | OL | 21 | Cincinnati Bengals | 2015 |
| Jake Matthews | OL | 6 | Atlanta Falcons | 2014 |
| Mike Evans | WR | 7 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2014 |
| Johnny Manziel | QB | 22 | Cleveland Browns | 2014 |
| Luke Joeckel | OL | 2 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 2013 |
| Ryan Tannehill | QB | 8 | Miami Dolphins | 2012 |
| Von Miller | LB | 2 | Denver Broncos | 2011 |
| Ty Warren | DL | 13 | New England Patriots | 2003 |
| Sammy Davis | DB | 30 | San Diego Chargers | 2003 |
| Reggie Brown | LB | 17 | Detroit Lions | 1996 |
| Sam Adams | DL | 8 | Seattle Seahawks | 1994 |
| Aaron Glenn | DB | 12 | New York Jets | 1994 |
| Greg Hill | RB | 25 | Kansas City Chiefs | 1994 |
| Patrick Bates | DB | 12 | Los Angeles Raiders | 1993 |
| Quentin Coryatt | LB | 2 | Indianapolis Colts | 1992 |
| Kevin Smith | DB | 17 | Dallas Cowboys | 1992 |
| Richmond Webb | OL | 9 | Miami Dolphins | 1990 |
| Roger Vick | RB | 21 | New York Jets | 1987 |
| Rod Bernstine | TE | 24 | San Diego Chargers | 1987 |
| Ray Childress | DL | 3 | Houston Oilers | 1985 |
| Billy Cannon | LB | 25 | Dallas Cowboys | 1984 |
| Curtis Dickey | RB | 5 | Baltimore Colts | 1980 |
| Jacob Green | DL | 10 | Seattle Seahawks | 1980 |
| Robert Jackson | LB | 17 | Cleveland Browns | 1977 |
| Bubba Bean | RB | 9 | Atlanta Falcons | 1976 |
| Tim Gray | DB | 21 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1975 |
| Larry Stegent | RB | 8 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1970 |
| Maurice Moorman | OL | 19 | Kansas City Chiefs | 1968 |
| John David Crow | RB | 2 | Chicago Cardinals | 1958 |
| Charles Krueger | DL | 9 | San Francisco 49ers | 1958 |
| Bob Goode | RB | 8 | Washington Redskins | 1949 |
| John Kimbrough | RB | 2 | Chicago Cardinals | 1941 |
| Jim Thomason | RB | 5 | Detroit Lions | 1941 |
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics