The Cleveland Browns should take Myles Garrett at No. 1

Cleveland were a missed San Diego field goal away from having an excellent shot at a rarity in the NFL: the imperfect season.

Currently 1-14, they are in the #1 spot for the upcoming 2017 Draft. Assuming they don’t do anything crazy against a playoff-bound Pittsburgh team likely to be resting key starters (early reports are that Landry Jones will start at quarterback and DeAngelo Williams at RB), a loss will guarantee them their choice of college football’s emerging stars.

A win will still see him through if the San Francisco 49ers can beat a Seattle team likely to be resting infantry ahead of the playoffs.

The sad story of the Cleveland Browns has played in many inglorious ways since their re-expansion into the NFL, but the last five years have been unusually cruel. The Cleveland roster as it stands is probably the worst in football.

It was sensationally “blown up” in the 2016 offseason with the team owners adopting the Philadelphia 76ers approach of short-term pain for long-term draft capital. Key free agents (Alex Mack, Mitchell Schwartz, Tashaun Gipson and Travis Benjamin) allowed to sign with other teams, earning them compensatory picks that will come to fruition this year.

Their only blue-chip player on their roster is longstanding Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas (who really has deserved a better team than Cleveland for whom to ply his trade over the years).

Now that Cleveland have begun acquiring the draft capital to undergo their lofty reconstruction project (yet again), they must not waste it like previous regimes. Of the eleven players chosen in the first round since 2009, only four remain on the current roster – Joe Haden (2010), and their three picks from 2015 and 2016 (Danny Shelton, Cameron Erving, Corey Coleman).

Phil Taylor (2011), Trent Richardson (2012) and Johnny Manziel (2014; no further comment required) aren’t even in the league anymore. Mack (2009) is in Atlanta, and busts Brandon Weeden (2012; Houston), Justin Gilbert (2014; Pittsburgh) and Barkevious Mingo (2013; New England) were either cut or traded for pennies in the dollar.

Their history of draft-day trades have been abysmal as well; trading out from Julio Jones in 2011 and Sammy Watkins in 2014 (imagine the difference of Jones being flanked by Odell Beckham Jnr with Derek Carr throwing passes if different choices had been made in those years).

So as soon as Cleveland lose this weekend, they might as well take their draft-day card and hand it to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. There is only one name they need to consider: Texas AandM defensive end Myles Garrett.

There will be articles over the next six months leading up to draft day debating the merits of what Cleveland should do with their pick, whether they draft a quarterback first overall, trade it out to another DE- or quarterback-challenged team, and other ridiculous ideas.

People will point to last year’s wonderful draft haul (multiple first- and second-round picks from Philadelphia for quarterback Carson Wentz) in advocating a trade, but that won’t happen again this year. There is no standout quarterback from the college class, nobody that a team will (or more likely, should) part with multiple picks to move up.

Cleveland most certainly are not a quarterback away from competing; they are an everything (except a left tackle) away. And if they want a team to compete in the AFC North against run-heavy teams like the Steelers and Ravens, they need to build themselves a defensive bully.

Now that the early season hype of Carson-Wentz-Cleveland-goofed-by-not-taking-him has died down, we can just look at the upcoming facts for the next draft. Myles Garrett is the best player in the college game, and it’s not even close.

He is the bully Cleveland need. Just like Jadaveon Clowney, Von Miller and Khalil Mack, pass rushers are worthy of high single-digit draft picks.

You need only look at the last free agency period and the contracts handed to Von Miller (6 years/$115m) and Oliver Vernon (4 years/$85m) to see that they are the highest paid non-quarterback players in the league.

This is not the year to force the issue going for a quarterback pick 1 overall when there is a much safer, high-floor, high-ceiling prospect that will be gobbled up at pick 2 if they decide to go in a different direction.

You can shoot for the moon with quarterbacks with your pick from Philadelphia (currently pick 10) or mine for gold in the later rounds. Notable later-round picks currently in the NFL who turned out half-decent: Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, Tony Romo, and some future all-world guy with the surname Brady.

With Myles Garrett, the team’s defence starts to take shape: Shelton has played well at times throughout the year and is starting to emerge as a three-down defensive lineman. The Browns traded for Jamie Collins from the Patriots and ought to re-sign him to a big contract this year. If Joe Haden regains anything near his Pro Bowl form, their defence can start to look better immediately if they can routinely pressure the quarterback. That’s the job for a number 1 pick.

Whatever you do Cleveland, no matter how fancy you want to get with trading your picks in later rounds, keeping every draft pick on your roster a-la 2016, or other Moneyball-inspired manoeuvres you want to make, do one thing right on draft day: Myles Garrett. Turn in the card. The rest will work itself out.