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The Cleveland Browns had seemingly half of the picks (slight exaggeration) in the 2017 NFL Draft, and with their top pick, and the No. 1 overall draft pick, they selected Texas A&M pass rusher Myles Garrett.
The pick was a slam dunk, as Garrett was not just the best pass rusher in the class, but probably the best athlete. He will look to transform the Browns defense into something which resembles a winning football team, something which has been rarely seen in Cleveland since the early 2000s.
Entering the NFL isn’t always easy for young men, and they have to learn all the nuances of the professional game. What Garrett might have to learn the hard way is how to know when to keep his mouth shut.
As I’m sure you were made aware, after he was drafted, Garrett stated he was excited to get his first NFL sack against Ben Roethlisberger. Before going any further, it should be noted the Steelers and Browns play in Cleveland in Week 1 of the 2017 regular season. However, in today’s world of social media, he quickly learned how news travels fast.
It was Pittsburgh right tackle Marcus Gilbert who first chimed in on Twitter.
See you 9/10 big fella
— Marcus Gilbert (@MarcusGilbert88) April 28, 2017
Followed by...
You'll get your shot pup
— Marcus Gilbert (@MarcusGilbert88) April 28, 2017
It wasn’t just Gilbert who heard about the possible innocent comment made by Garrett after the biggest day of his life. The news went all the way to Ben Roethlisberger, who then forwarded the message to center Maurkice Pouncey.
"I was talking to [Maurkice Pouncey] after Garrett called me out," Roethlisberger told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. "Pounce got a big kick out of it. All of my linemen enjoyed hearing it. They can't wait to get started. I can't either."
Garrett’s comments could be taken way out of context, or maybe the rookie is truly excited to get his hands on Big Ben, but either way, the Browns certainly got the Steelers’ Hall of Fame quarterback, and his offensive linemen’s, attention.
I have a feeling he will quickly learn when to talk, and when to simply let his play on the field do the talking.