ESPN’s survey of NFL execs, coaches, players puts Myles Garrett near the top of the list of edge rushers

Besides weekly power rankings, we are almost done with all the different rankings we see from national media. Almost!

In the end, on-the-field production is all that matters. Players playing well tend to lead to teams winning football games and that is all Cleveland Browns fans want to see. National rankings are interesting, at the least, but it is important to note where they came from and how they were decided.

For years now, ESPN has accumulated survey information for their positional rankings. Checking in with executives, coaches, scouts and players to get a well-rounded look at where players slot in compared to their contemporaries.

As “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” begins to publish their survey results, we get the unsurprising result that Browns DE Myles Garrett is one of the top edge rushers in the NFL. Like last year, however, Garrett doesn’t get the top spot:

Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 4

Age: 27 | Last year’s ranking: 2

Our 2021 No. 1 pass-rusher shook off some early career inconsistency and became one of the most disruptive forces in the NFL.

Garrett is coming off back-to-back seasons of 16 sacks, and his 23.0 disrupted plays — sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles or passes defended — led all edge players last year.

As noted in the above quote and later in their description of Garrett, lack of consistency is the only knock on him. Despite that, Cleveland’s defensive end is so disruptive that he continues to rank in the top two in back-to-back years after being at the top of the list in 2021.

Last year’s top edge player, T.J. Watt, fell to fourth after an injury limited him last year while Nick Bosa jumped Garrett, going from third to first this year.

Where do you rank Myles Garrett among edge rushers in the NFL? Does the survey of a variety of NFL professionals have strong validity for you?