How Did Former Browns DC Gregg Williams Ensure The Franchise Took Myles Garrett In 2017

Friday kicks off day two of the NFL Draft, one of the most pivotal days for both NFL Franchises and the players that they are selecting. Teams have a chance to put their team on an upward trajectory or dig themselves into a massive hole.

Cleveland has sure had its fair share of blunders on Draft weekend and according to former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, he helped stop what could have been one of the worst in 2017.

Looking back, the 2017 draft class was absolutely loaded. The top 10 alone featured Myles Garrett, Christian McCaffery, Mike Williams and, yes, Patrick Mahomes. Cleveland's current signal caller, Deshaun Watson, fell just outside the top 10 when he was selected by Houston with the 12th pick. Also picked in the top 10 was Cleveland native, Mitchell Trubisky, who went No. 2 overall after the Browns selected Garrett.

As Williams puts it, he's responsible for the franchise winding up with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. If he hadn't spoken up, apparently Trubisky would have wound up playing in his hometown.

The story of how the Browns 2 hours before the draft were going to take Mitch Trubisky over Myles Garrett & it took Gregg Williams threatening the front office is still wild 😂

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— McNeil (@Reflog_18) April 25, 2024

Trubisky's career has been just north of solid. He led the Bears to two playoff appearances but has become a quarterback journeyman.

During the pre-draft process, teams evaluate every player that's available, especially the team with the No. 1 overall pick. Cleveland's due diligence turned to serious interest in the UNC product, according Williams, so much so that the debate over their selection went all the way up until two hours before the draft.

At that point, Williams had had enough. When it got to crunch time,he exclaimed to the members of the room, "I'm going to have a press conference after this and let them know about the conversations around here about not taking Myles Garrett."

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett pressures Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky. | Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

Thankfully, William's threat helped result in Cleveland taking Garrett and hitting on a generational, hall-of-fame-type talent.

The 2024 draft won't likely yield that contentious of a draft-night discussion, especially with where Cleveland is picking. But if it does, hopefully, Cleveland finds itself on the right side of history again.