BEREA, Ohio -- Myles Garrett said an ankle injury had him playing at 75 percent efficiency for a good part of his final season at Texas A&M.
"One of the worst foot injuries I have had," Garrett said at an introductory news conference with the Cleveland Browns. "And I fractured a growth plate when I was in high school in a weightlifting accident. That didn't hang on for so long. It was a thing, it healed up and it went right back to working, but that ankle sprain hung on for a while."
Garrett said Aggies trainers recommended he rest the ankle, but he returned after missing two games.
"They wanted me to get some rest, but I love my guys too much to sit out and have to watch them without me," Garrett said. "I know I wanted to be there and struggling and grinding with them. I wanted to do my best for them because they deserve it. So do the coaches, the fans and everybody else who was part of my time at Texas A&M."
He admitted he was not himself.
"I couldn't get that explosiveness, that step past the offensive tackle like I wanted, or that step to the left when I am trying to go to the guard," he said. "But I gave what I could."
Garrett spoke one day after being chosen with the first overall pick in the draft. He said the night was "pretty relaxing" and it was a thrill to hear Hall of Famer Jim Brown, the legendary Browns running back, call his name.
"I have the best I could ever dream of right now," Garrett said. "If I could just maintain my focus and keep working hard on the field, it will stay that way."
Garrett chuckled when asked about a photo he tweeted shortly after he was drafted of a baby in a diaper who looked like he was pumping his fist.
"It is me as a kid," Garrett said. "It's funny. I thought I looked like the Success Kid [a photo meme] who was on the beach, but it was really me just trying to break a rope that was on my arm.
"I thought it was funny, and I threw a little caption on it to cap off the night."
— Myles Garrett (@MylesLGarrett) April 28, 2017
As for whether Garrett wants to meet Hall of Fame pass-rusher Warren Sapp, who called Garrett a "lazy" player not worth the first overall pick, Garrett shrugged. "No, not at all," the No. 1 pick said. "He has his own opinion, and maybe he will change it by the end of the year."
There is one person in Cleveland, though, he would like to meet: LeBron James.
"That would be nice," he said with a smile.