Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett has logged less than 20 games in his college career.
Like LSU true sophomore Leonard Fournette, however, Garrett is nevertheless drawing plenty of attention from NFL scouts as a pass rusher. And one believes Garrett, who won't be eligible for the NFL Draft until 2017 at the earliest, is already the best player in college football.
"He's the best player in the country," the area scout told NFL Media's Albert Breer. "... He's absolutely explosive off the football. A very special first step, as good you'll see. He's elite. The guy is explosive, can turn and bend the corner, all of that. It's impressive. Pound for pound, he has good strength, too, but that's not his game. He's such a good athlete, he doesn't need much of a rush plan to create havoc. And if you watch, you'll see he gets a step or two before the tackle's even out of his stance. It looks like he's offsides."
Like another true sophomore, LSU running back Leonard Fournette, Garrett has wasted no time making a name for himself on the college level. As a freshman last year, he broke Jadeveon Clowney's SEC freshman record for sacks and finished the season with 11.5. This year, he's already got 7.5 sacks and three forced fumbles, a pace for 15 sacks in the regular season alone. His next will be the 20th of his career.
The next step for Garrett's game is making more of an impact in SEC play. Of his 19 career sacks, 13.5 of them have come over the course of seven regular season non-conference games. Of those opponents, only one is from a Power Five conference (Arizona State). SEC teams have found Garrett more manageable by running the ball, often directly at him to offset his quickness. LSU's La'el Collins, for instance, had an outstanding game against Garrett last year behind a power-rushing game plan.
Garrett should see much the same attack from Alabama Saturday against Crimson Tide standout left tackle Cam Robinson.
And with it will come a chance to impress scouts against the high end of his competition.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*
