If Browns Could Do The 2017 Draft Over, Would They Still Take Myles Garrett?

The 2017 NFL Draft changed the course of history for the Browns. But the same class that netted them Myles Garrett also produced Patrick Mahomes. Would they change anything if they could do it over again?

Fresh off of a memorable 2023 campaign that saw the Browns make a playoff appearance for the second time in four years, it’s safe to say head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry have ushered in a new era of football in Cleveland.

Prior to their arrival in 2020, the Browns were best known for turning losing into an art form – something they did so well in 2017 that they produced just the second 0-16 season in NFL history. Those days seem to be behind the franchise with this current regime leading the charge, but in some ways they have those years of misery to thank for bringing the franchise to where it is today.

Take the 2017 NFL Draft for instances. The fallout of a one win 2016 season landed the Browns the No. 1 overall pick that spring, on top of owning a two additional first rounders from trades. That stockpile of picks, courtesy of then GM Sashi Brown, represented a real chance for the franchise to establish a foundation of talent for the future. That’s exactly what they attempted to do, making a no-brainer pick of Myles Garrett with the first pick.

Cleveland’s was in the clock again 11 picks later – two picks after the Kansas City Chiefs traded up to select eventual star QB Patrick Mahomes. Brown had developed a reputation of trading down to acquire more picks and did just that at 12, allowing the Texans – ironically enough – to move up and select Deshaun Watson. The Browns added the No. 25 overall pick and a 2018 first rounder, while also still possessing the 29th overall pick.

They’d finish night one of the draft with a trio of Garrett, safety Jabrill Peppers and tight end David Njoku. Obviously two of those three have become the cornerstone players the franchise had hoped, even surviving two more coaching changes to help bring the franchise to where it is today.

There’s no denying the impact that 2017 draft had in altering the future of the franchise. But as Mahomes gets ready to play in his sixth-straight AFC Championship game since becoming the Chiefs starter in 2018, a curious question comes to minf. Would the Browns decision makers have done things differently back then, knowing what we know now about Mahomes?

It’s hardly a secret the ultimate prize for any team is a franchise quarterback. Mahomes has been that and then some.

Crazily enough, he wasn’t even considered the top QB at the class at the time. That honor belonged to UNC product Mitch Trubisky, who went directly after Garrett to the Bears. In a hypothetical re-draft it’s safe to say, Mahomes would be the first signal caller off the board. Would the Browns have pulled the trigger and foregone selecting Garrett, if they knew what Mahomes was destined to become?

It’s a truly fascinating question. On one hand, drafting Garrett has been the single best decision this franchise has made pre-Stefanski. He’s been an absolute slam dunk and is in line to potentially take home his first Defensive Player of the Year award in less than two weeks.

Then again, having an elite pass rusher is second only to having an elite QB. Mahomes would have solved that dilemma for the once rudderless franchise that up two years ago when they gave up three first-round picks for Watson, were still searching for their an answer at quarterback. Frankly, they still are as Watson’s top 10 QB form has yet to materialize in Cleveland. There’s obviously a pretty large slice of irony in the Browns having been in position to select their current QB with the No. 12 pick back in 2017, only to give up a package of picks to acquire him five years after the fact. They could have had their cake and eaten it too had they wound up with Garrett and Watson at the time.

They also could have taken Mahomes at one and wound up with the best QB of a generation.

Would the Browns be going to a sixth-straight AFC Championship game with a couple Lombardis in the trophy case if they had? Would they have lived to regret not selecting Garrett, the generational pass rusher instead?

Much of this “what if” scenario also comes down to situation and its fair to wonder if Mahomes would have ended up as the Mahomes we know today under Hue Jackson and a mostly lost franchise. Working with Andy Reid was the best possible outcome for the two-time MVP to step into, with a year to learn behind then QB Alex Smith to boot.

It’s equally as impossible to picture Garrett anywhere else but Cleveland now. Browns fans are certainly happy to have him.

All things considered, there’s no real loser here. Both teams wound up with generational players who have become the identity of their franchises, respectively.

All I know is, while the Browns continue waiting for their ROI with Watson, Kansas City is chasing it’s third Super Bowl in five years. Excuse my wandering mind.