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49ers Draft: The Myles Garrett Hype Train and If He Falls

By Jonah Burros

Oct 8, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Myles Garrett (15) in action during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Kyle Field. The Aggies defeat the Volunteers 45-38 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 8, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Myles Garrett (15) in action during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Kyle Field. The Aggies defeat the Volunteers 45-38 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 4, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

The Question

So who is the talent Myles Garrett is this much better than and why?

There is no doubt Garrett is a special talent. But when compared to the rest of the class, why is he such a consensus No. 1 pick overall?

With such a deep potential harvest at so many defensive positions, a long-winded and potentially perpetual philosophical conversation could be had about the merits of all of this year’s prospects.

For the sake of argument, and for the advent of analytics, we are going to concentrate on the sole position group that Myles Garrett is currently crowned king of — the pass-rusher.

The depth with this lot is exceptional and warrants some comparison. Defensive ends and outside linebackers comprise the majority in this category, and most of the time, these players could be labeled at either position dependent on the scheme.

These are the most notable prospects this year:

1) Texas A&M DE/OLB Myles Garrett
2) Tennessee DE/OLB Derek Barnett
3) Stanford DE/OLB Solomon Thomas
4) Michigan DE/OLB Taco Charleton
5) Missouri DE/OLB Charles Harris

The top three are of particular interest because they are all ranking in the top 10 of the NFL Draft boards for completely different reasons, what about Garrett puts him on top overall?

When looking at the numbers, Tennessee DE Derek Barnett by far the front-runner, Stanford DE Solomon Thomas has the market cornered on the character traits. Garrett is a freak athlete with intangibles.

Let us compare Garrett in all of these categories.