49ers: Why Texas A&M Myles Garrett is a Must-Draft Player

Niner Noise plays the part of 49ers general manager and with the second overall pick, selects Myles Garrett, EDGE rusher out of Texas A&M. Garrett is an absolute must-draft player and Niner Noise explains why.

Oct 8, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Myles Garrett (15) tackles Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) during the first quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Texas A&M defensive lineman Myles Garrett is a must-draft college prospect.

No, he does not play the most important position in football. Yes, the San Francisco 49ers have an uncertain situation at the quarterback position.

And yet, if Garrett is there at the second overall pick, the 49ers need to rush their card to the podium. There should be no debate. This is a no-brainer of a decision.

There is only one other scenario that makes as much sense as selecting Garrett and that is trading down.

While trading down makes sense, the decision is not as clear-cut as it may seem.

Let’s explore some reasons why Garrett should be selected at the No. 2 overall spot and why other options are don’t quite stack up.

Sep 24, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Myles Garrett (15) during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Arguments Against

Let’s start with the arguments used to not draft Garrett. Here are the four points most commonly said against drafting Garrett:

Let’s address the first two bullet statements right now. But first, for context, readers should understand where the other football positions rank in terms of importance.

According to NFL.com, here are the top-five most important positions in football:

The QB is undoubtedly the most important position in football. If you are a team with a top-shelf QB, then you could be a perennial playoff contender like the Green Bay Packers or the New England Patriots.

Jan 14, 2017; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) warms up before the start of the game against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

However, what is often missed is that the QB position is so important that when a team misses, that deficit in talent at that position causes a team’s overall talent level to plummet. Imagine that we are in a court a court of football law and you are the jury. I present to you, the jury, the following cases as precedents:

Los Angeles Rams, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers and the Cleveland Browns.

The growing consensus among draftniks is that this year’s crop of high end QB prospects are not elite-level prospects. These players come with plenty of question marks.

Pick wrong and the 49ers will be set back for a number of years.

Oct 31, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer (14) throws in the third quarter against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. Notre Dame won 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

The other positions of need for the 49ers are the cornerback, safety, nose tackle, the inside linebacker and the wide receiver position. The 49ers could trade down to address the multiple positions but what are those positions and what rounds will you select those players?

In today’s NFL, you don’t select linebackers in the Top-10 unless you are set at other key positions. Excellent nose tackles can be had in the third-round. There isn’t a shutdown cornerback anywhere in this draft class.

That leaves the wide receiver and the safety position.

The draft does provide top-tier talents such as Clemson WR Mike Williams and Ohio State safety Malik Hooker. Niner Noise’ very own Nicholas McGee recognized Hooker’s amazing speed and play recognition.

Still, the 49ers’ have options at the safety position by moving current slot corner back Jimmy Ward to the safety position. In addition, the 49ers could also choose to add proven WRs via free agency such as current Chicago Bears WR Alshon Jeffery.

All of this brings us back to the reasons why the 49ers should draft Garrett.

Oct 3, 2015; College Station, TX, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs running back Aeris Williams (27) carries the ball as Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Myles Garrett (right) defends during the second half at Kyle Field. Texas A&M won 30-17. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Arguments For

Now let us examine the reasons why the 49ers’ brain trust (whoever that may entail) should draft Garrett with the second overall pick.

Garrett has almost no flaws. His most notable flaws, and scouts readily admit that they are nitpicking, is that he sometimes stands too tall and he could add some more pass-rushing moves.

However, this is following the notion that every player has to have flaws. In truth, Garrett is a much more advanced pass rusher than Von Miller, Aldon Smith, Khalil Mack or Vic Beasley were coming out of college.

This just about guarantees that Garrett will turn out to be a pro-bowl level player. A generational, once-in-a-decade-type of player. This should cover bullet point one and two and leads us to bullet point three — BPA philosophy.

Sep 19, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; ABC television broadcaster Todd McShay interviews Stanford Cardinal coach David Shaw after the game against the Southern California Trojans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Stanford defeated USC 41-31. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Best-Player-Available Philosophy

Listen to any of the popular draft analysts and you will hear the same thing: drafting the best player available is the best draft philosophy.

Why? Because teams tend to reach for players that are not as talented for where they are being selected.

January 1, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) watches game action against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

This is why forcing QBs to be something that they are not consistently fails. Not to mention that these QBs seem to always land on team’s with rosters deprived of talent.

Sound familiar? Talent at the QB position can be had later in the draft if it is not forced. Just like Minnesota did with Teddy Bridgewater or Oakland did with Derek Carr.

There are arguments for drafting for positional needs. In reality, BPA and positional needs are more intertwined than separate draft ideals.

Each team’s draft approach depends strictly on their individual situation. For the San Francisco 49ers, they are in a position where they can focus on BPA and positional needs simultaneously.

By drafting Garrett you take the draft’s No. 1 ranked player to fill a premier position for the 49ers.

Sep 10, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; Prairie View A&M Panthers running back Dawonya Tucker (13) rushes as Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Myles Garrett defends during the first quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Little Risk, Big Rewards

We have established that when teams reach for a QB and miss they end up setting their franchise back several years.

According to the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective, 61 percent of first-round QBs turn out to be mediocre or out-right busts. In fact, according to the same analysis only 39 percent of first-round QBs become above-average signal callers.

This analysis is a strict mathematical analysis which fails to take into account when teams reach for QBs that are not capable of being franchise-leading QBs.

However, miss on an EDGE rusher and the damage is significantly minimized. Yet, hit on an elite EDGE rusher, like the Denver Broncos did with Von Miller, and the 49ers can reap the rewards.

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The 49ers can still select a QB in the first round by trading back in to the back end of the first round. The 49ers second round pick can be used in a trade up scenario to secure a late first round quarterback.

Players like Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes or Virginia Tech’s Jerod Evans could be available later in the first round.

Dec 18, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) during the game against the Cleveland Browns at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

In addition, there are also plenty of QBs available through free agency or through trades with other teams.

Players like Washington Redskins’ Kirk Cousins, Buffalo Bills’ QB Tyrod Taylor and Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Mike Glennon will all be FAs in 2017.

New England’s Jimmy Garoppolo and Minnesota Vikings’ Teddy Bridgewater or Sam Bradford could be available through trades.

January 1, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) runs against San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Carl Bradford (45) during the third quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The Seahawks defeated the 49ers 25-23. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Sack Russell Wilson!

There is more than one way to win in the NFL and in the NFC West, the Seattle Seahawks’ Russell Wilson makes a really good team, a deadly team. The Seahawks are a team built around a dominant defense and superb QB play. Seattle has been able to keep stalwart defensive players and also keep Wilson by signing them to lucrative deals while ignoring other positions.

The most ignored positional group is the offensive line. Seattle’s O-line has consistently ranked as one of the worst in the NFL.

Wilson has been sacked an astronomically-high 86 times over the last two years per Pro Football Reference.

Now imagine that same porous Seattle O-line trying to block this monster:

Having Garrett immediately provides a pass rush to disrupt Wilson and finally ground his wizardry in the pocket. But wait, it gets better! Garrett does not bring off the field baggage concerns like former 49ers EDGE rusher Aldon Smith. In addition, Garrett is a high motor player like current 49ers defensive end DeForest Buckner.

In a sentence, Garrett is an amalgamation of Von Miller’s speed and bend combined with Julius Peppers size and strength.

Take a look at his measurables below. He is the real deal.

Measurables:

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 270 pounds

Position: EDGE

School: Texas A&M

Year: Junior

Projected 40 Time:  4.60 (per Walter Football)

The measurements are taken from the Texas A&M’s 12thman.com website.

If the Browns reach for a QB (again) at the No. 1 spot, the 49ers need to be smart and pick the BPA and solidify a premier positional need.

For more 49ers commentary, follow me on Twitter at @EricGamboa01 or on Facebook at @EricGamboaNinerNoise.

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