The process already has begun to transition Browns top pick Jedrick Willis to left tackle. (rolltide.com)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Browns fans can breathe easier today after the club’s new analytics regime focused all its Ivy League brain power on a football fundamental and then executed its version of a pancake block.
The trio of chief strategist Paul DePodesta, GM Andrew Berry and coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t try to outsmart, outmaneuver, or outdo themselves. They weren’t tempted to collect assets over picking the best football player at protecting quarterback Baker Mayfield and blasting holes for Nick Chubb.
Following the surprising pattern of the night, they didn’t trade down – which was most everyone’s worst fear. They stood pat at No. 10 and selected the No. 1 offensive tackle on their board in an unusually strong offensive tackle class and filled their No. 1 need.
With every offensive tackle on the board except Andrew Thomas, who went No. 4 to the Giants, the Browns selected 6-4, 312-pound mauler Jedrick Wills of Alabama – the youngest of the litter who turns 21 on May 17.
Wills played right tackle for demanding coach Nick Saban and protected the blind side of left-handed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The Browns see Wills meeting the challenge of moving to the left side to fill the last void in an upgraded offensive line. He will pair with free agent acquisition Jack Conklin on the right side to give the Browns a substantially improved set of offensive tackles to operate Stefanski’s wide zone blocking scheme.
“The first time you turned on the tape, I could envision this kid playing in our scheme and playing for our team,” Stefanski said.
“I liked his makeup. I like his tenacity, his toughness, his intelligence, and then not to mention that he is a scheme fit for our team. Great movement skills. Plays with a nastiness. I think we got a winner, and I think we got the right person. I keep coming back to it and it is the truth -- just trying to get some good players in here and some good people, and he fits the bill.”
Berry said, “Jed [has] a very well-rounded skillset, great feet, athletic ability, coordination, [is] advanced in pass pro[tection] and very physical in the run game. Just a really well-rounded player for us. The other thing that really impressed us with Jed, particularly this spring, was obviously just his preparation and organization around his preparation habits and routine.”
Everyone was surprised that only Thomas of Georgia was off the board when the Browns’ pick came up at No. 10. Given the choice of Combine-wonder Tristan Wirfs of Iowa, agile behemoth Mekhi Becton of Louisville and Wills, the Browns rebuffed offers to move down and chose a player they say they ranked at the top of their offensive tackle draft board at the beginning of their process. Wills maintained the top spot when final evaluations were done two weeks ago.
Becton was taken by the Jets at No. 11 and Wirfs went No. 14 to Tampa Bay.
Although Berry had said they would not be pigeon-holed into taking a tackle, Wills was a unanimous choice of the newly-aligned organization.
“Tonight, best player available on our board happened to be a position of a real need on our team,” DePodesta said.
DePodesta said there were a couple non-tackles they were willing to take at No. 10. He said a potential trade for Redskins veteran Trent Williams would only have been revisited if the expected run on tackles had occurred and left the Browns without one in the draft.
Wills, who is naturally right-handed, never played left tackle in high school or in three years at Alabama. The Browns called on revered offensive line coach Bill Callahan, one of the key additions to Stefanski’s first Browns’ staff, to assess if Wills could make the transition of redirecting his muscle memory to his left side.
Callahan was Dallas Cowboys offensive line coach in 2011 when they drafted USC right tackle Tyron Smith and converted him to left tackle. DePodesta referred to Smith as "the most prominent" case of right tackle moving to left tackle. Smith has made the Pro Bowl seven times in his nine seasons.
“We certainly weighed his opinion pretty heavily in this group,” DePodesta said. “And he absolutely felt confident that this was something that was possible and that Jedrick could do. That doesn’t mean it is going to be flawless, but I think he has a strong belief that Jedrick is capable of doing this. That definitely weighed heavily. If he had come to us and said, ‘Listen, this is highly unlikely that he could make such a transition,’ then I don’t think he would be the top guy on our board.”
Berry said that the Browns, and most teams, discussed a conversion to left tackle at the NFL Combine in February. Berry said he has been impressed with the independent work Wills already has done in starting the process.
“He really has taken the initiative to begin some of that prep work on his own. It is really a credit to him and it is a credit to his drive,” Berry said.
Stefanski admitted the obstacles imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions will force the Browns’ coaches to be creative in getting Wills up to speed as a left tackle.
“It will not be ideal like getting your hands on him, but I am really confident in [Callahan’s] ability and in a setting and explaining what he wants to see,” he said. “There are various ways and we are figuring them out and we are getting creative about how we are sending the guys video of different drills and different techniques that they can do. I believe we will be able to get that done. I am confident because I think Jedrick is already on the way to doing those things. Like I mentioned, he has been well-coached. He has been a left side stance before. I think it is just going to be the muscle memory over and over.”
Wills said he looks forward to the challenge. He and Stefanski both asserted that retired Browns left tackle Joe Thomas can also be a valuable resource in assisting his transition to the left side.
“The No. 1 thing is learning the plays and getting the playbook down because without that, I would not be able to actually play. So that process and then just really practicing left tackle,” he said. “Joe Thomas reached out to me [prior to the draft] and kind of knew that I would be going to that position right away. As soon as I can start that position as fast as possible and kind of send him some videos, get some pointers and clips from his direction, I feel like I will be in good hands.”