Myles Garrett’s expected sack total for rookie season may surprise you

Myles Garrett limped through a lingering ankle injury that helped attribute to him finishing with just eight and a half sacks in his final season at Texas A&M.

According to Bookmaker.eu, the Cleveland Browns rookie’s sack total over-under for the 2017 season is currently set at six. That means the No. 1 overall pick could sack the quarterback less in his rookie NFL season than he did last season while playing injured for most the year, and still go over their expected total.

He also only needs one-half sack to outperform former second-round pick Emmanuel Ogbah’s rookie season production. As a rookie, Ogbah led a dismal Browns pass rush last season with five and a half sacks.

Here’s a look at how some other highly drafted and highly touted pass rushers fared in their first NFL seasons.

It’s also worth noting that former No. 1-overall Browns pick Courtney Brown had four and a half sacks during his rookie season — the only season of his career in which he played in all 16 games — and never finished a season with more than six quarterback sacks.

Not that struggling during one’s rookie season will foreshadow an entire career, but as you’ve seen, some of the elite pass rushers of today were able to create some havoc when they were rookies.

Because of his immense potential and draft position, it’ll be a pretty big disappointment if Garrett, whether due to injury or struggles, fails to surpass that six-sack number set by the bookmakers.

And that’s not an indictment on his future, just the reality of the situation for a player who says he wants to become the greatest to ever play the game, regardless of position.