The Cleveland Browns have officially remade their offensive line.
After luring Jack Conklin off the open market to man the right tackle spot, the Browns on Thursday used the No. 10 pick in the NFL Draft to grab their in-theory bookend in Jedrick Wills out of Alabama.
The 6-foot-4, 312-pound lineman arrives as a pass-blocking product who quarterback Tua Tagovailoa labeled as the "alpha male" of last year's Crimson Tide operation. Now Wills will spend Sundays keeping quarterback Baker Mayfield upright.
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah called Wills an "outstanding knee-bender," while projecting the prospect to take over the left tackle spot despite some concerns around his ability to do so after manning the right side at Alabama.
"He's got feet, he's got flexibility and he competes really hard," one scout told Bob McGinn of The Athletic. "Really good with his drive block. Square pass protection. Runs and pulls with ease. Really light on his feet. Pretty good in space. His height is OK."
Said another personnel man: "You may try to kick him to left but people don't know how hard that is, especially when you haven't done it."
Still, Wills allowed just one sack on 929 career pass blocking snaps during his college journey, per Pro Football Focus. He and Andrew Thomas were the only two tackles in the SEC to earn a 90-plus run blocking grade in 2019.
The Browns believe they can make it work with Conklin and Wills, choosing the prospect over a laundry list of available tackles.
