Myles Garrett, to no one's surprise, has quickly emerged as one of the NFL's most dangerous pass-rushers. The first overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Garrett racked up seven sacks in 11 games as a rookie and finished the 2018 season with 13.5 sacks, seventh-most in the NFL. For the Cleveland Browns star to fulfill his potential as a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate, though, one of his former coaches believes he'll need more than just unparalleled physical tools.

“It's starting to come,” former Cleveland defensive line coach Clyde Simmons told Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot of Garrett's improved playing mentality. “There's still some little things in there that I think he could be a little bit more aggressive about, but that takes time. Nobody just comes out and turns into a full-blooded killer.”

Indeed, time is still on Garrett's side. He turned 23 years old in late December, yet has already established himself as the cornerstone of one football's most talented young defenses. Once Garrett reaches his prime in two or three seasons, it's entirely possible the Browns star can reach the elevated level of superstar defensive lineman like the Los Angeles Rams' Aaron Donald and Houston Texans' J.J. Watt.

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“He's big, he's fast, and he's strong,” Simmons said. “He's a handful to deal with inside and outside because he's smart. He knows and understands the game, and he's starting to learn more about himself and the opponent and about things he can do. He can still reach all of his goals.”

But apparently not unless Garrett, a poet who's faced undue criticism throughout his playing career for his many off-field interests, embraces the mindset of a “full-blooded killer” – whatever that means.