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Browns go with Garrett, trade back to No. 25

BEREA– The Browns didn’t mess around with the No. 1 pick.

Myles Garrett was the consensus best player in the NFL draft, and Cleveland made sure he didn’t go anywhere else.

Although their biggest need remains a franchise quarterback, the Browns selected Texas A&M’s defensive standout first overall, a pick that had been projected for weeks.

Following a dismal 1-15 season, the Browns are counting on Garrett and this draft — Sashi Brown, the club’s vice president of football operations called it “momentous” last week — to kick-start their turnaround and possibly end years of football folly for a once-proud franchise.

With two first-round picks, two in the second round and one in the third, the Browns have the assets to improve, and possibly to find that elusive QB after starting 26 since 1999.

But that’s been the hope before and years of blown draft picks, particularly in the first round, have hampered the team from making any significant progress.

The Browns had their eyes on North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky, a local kid who grew up a Cleveland fan, but he was surprisingly selected at No. 2 by the Chicago Bears.

With a chance to get Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson at No. 12, the Browns sent that pick to Houston for the No. 25 selection and the Texans’ first-round pick in 2018. Houston then took Watson, the dynamic playmaker who led the Tigers to a national championship last season. The Browns took Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers with the 25th pick.

This wasn’t supposed to be a strong quarterback class and yet three were chosen in the top 12 — not by the Browns, who are already set for next season with two first-round picks and three second-rounders.

Garrett, a freakish athlete who has been accused of sometimes taking plays off, could help change that. Cleveland has lacked a dominant defensive player, the kind who can change a game with a sack or punishing hit.

Unlike many of the top picks who were in Philadelphia walking the red carpet and hugging Commissioner Roger Goodell on a stage in front of 70,000 fans, Garrett was with family and friends in Texas when he received a phone call from the Browns.

“It was really just a weight off of my shoulders to finally just get the announcement that what I have been working for is finally come to fruition,” said Garrett, who wore a Cleveland T-shirt that said “The Heart of Rock ‘N Roll.” ”I can actually know where I am going, know who I am going up against and know the schedule. Now, it’s time to put in that work so I can be prepared to go against the best.”

The 6-foot-5, 272-pound Garrett, who recorded 32¢ sacks during his three seasons with the Aggies, will join a Browns defense undergoing a much-needed major makeover. The team hired former New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams — of “Bountygate” infamy — this winter and signed linebacker Jamie Collins to a four-year, $50 million contract, locking up a player they can pair with Garrett to form their defensive foundation.

Cleveland ranked 31st defensively last season and was 30th in sacks with 26.

Garrett said the call from the Browns came on his mom’s phone because his had “disappeared” during the watch party. Garrett first spoke with Brown before getting on with coach Hue Jackson, who pumped up the 21-year-old.

“He was like, ‘I told you that I wouldn’t leave you hanging. I told you that you were my guy,'” Garrett said. “That made my night. Now, I’m just ready to go to work.”

Garrett is aware of recent criticism about his game, including remarks by Hall of Famer Warren Sapp, who called him “lazy.”

“It does not matter what they say. It matters what the pads say, what the grind says when we finally get to the season — how much work you want to put in, how hard you want to prepare,” Garrett said. “That will speak volumes when you finally get there.”

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For more NFL coverage: http://pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP–NFL

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.

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