NFL executive: Browns' Myles Garrett on track to be a Hall of Famer

Cleveland Browns All-Pro pass-rusher Myles Garrett left no question he's confident in his abilities when he publicly stated last week that he should be the top-rated star in this year's edition of NFL Network's Top 100 Players. 

One insider kept Garrett out of his top 10, and the three-time Pro Bowl selection ultimately checked in at No. 11 on the actual NFL Network list. For a piece published Monday morning, however, "an ESPN panel of more than 50 NFL experts" asked "to rate players based on how good they will be in the 2022 season compared with their peers" voted Garrett ninth overall. 

To compare, Pittsburgh Steelers star and reigning Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt is sixth on the ESPN list. 

As ESPN's Jeremy Fowler explained on Tuesday, executives and coaches from around the league used the opportunity to argue who is better between Garrett and Watt. One NFC executive let it be known he believes Garrett is on his way toward eventually being enshrined in Canton. 

"I was having this conversation with someone the other day. Is Myles Garrett a Hall of Famer? He's on that track," that executive said. "He's been more productive than I thought after I looked at the numbers."

Garrett's 16 sacks for the 2021 season were a career-high, and he has accumulated 58.5 total quarterback takedowns since entering the NFL in 2017.

"He's really close to having that signature year," an AFC executive added about Garrett. "And his defense around him will be the best he's had there. Early in his career, he would disappear a bit against good tackles, but he's figured a lot of that out. Outside of Aaron [Donald], he's the guy who probably commands the most attention from opposing offenses."

Garrett could bolster his Hall-of-Fame résumé with at least one Defensive Player of the Year Award. At just 26 years old, he may not yet be in the prime of his playing days.