Mekhi Becton was good on the field and in interviews at the NFL Combine last month. (courier-journal.com)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
The clock is ticking on a possible Browns deal for Trent Williams. Or Jason Peters.
The longer the Browns go without acting on those available veteran left tackles, the greater the likelihood they will fill the final piece of their offensive puzzle with their first pick in the draft on April 23.
Fortunately for the Browns, there are four elite offensive tackles available in the draft that stand above the rest. Although wide receiver is considered the strongest position in the draft, it’s possible all four of the top tackles will be taken before the first receiver.
The Browns have to study the video and crunch the numbers to determine which fits best in Kevin Stefanski’s zone-blocking scheme, which is agile enough yet strong enough, which projects best on the left side rather than on the right side, or inside as a guard.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Browns likely won’t be able to visit with any of the prospects in person prior to the draft. So they will have to rely on the 18-minute interviews they conducted with each of them at the NFL Combine last month for that portion of their evaluation.
What they found was each had an outgoing personality – no shrinking violet among them.
You can get some feel for their personalities below from excerpts of media interviews with each offensive tackle prospect at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
Mekhi Becton, Louisville
6-7, 364 pounds, 35 5/8 in. arm length, 40 time: 5.1 seconds, 10-yard split: 1.8 seconds.
“I feel I’m the most dominant tackle in this draft. You wouldn’t go wrong picking me.
“The tape shows it. It shows that I finish almost every play. It’s as simple as that.
“[Basketball] helped me with my footwork. You can tell I’m real light on my feet. So I feel basketball helped me out with my footwork when it comes to football and pass pro[tection].
“I’m a quick learner. Once [offensive line] Coach [Dwayne] Ledford taught me my footwork, it snapped right there.
“I take a whole lot of pride in [playing in the zone-blocking scheme]. I love outside zone and inside zone. It’s just fun running a man out of the play and taking him where I want him to go.
“I love being the biggest offensive lineman. I love intimidating guys. I was always the biggest on my team.
“I think I did great in my [team] interviews. I talked real confident in my interviews. I had a great time in my interviews.”
Andrew Thomas, Georgia
6-5, 315 pounds, 36 1/8 in. arm length, 40 time: 5.22 seconds, 10-yard split: 1.83 seconds.
“In college I started off at right tackle my freshman year, then I transitioned to left tackle after Isaiah [Wynn] left and I played there the last two years. I think in the run game I’m very physical at the point of attack and I have good leverage, and in the pass game I have athletic feet and length.
“I think I’m a mix of Tyron Smith and Trent Williams. Trent Williams because of his athleticism and Tyron Smith because of how consistent his set is no matter who he’s playing.
“In the SEC you don’t have any days off. Every week you’re playing against the best pass rusher they have. Obviously, it’s not the NFL, but it’s a stepping stone to go to the next level.
"Playing in the SEC every week you’ve got to be ready. The competition is ridiculous. Everybody is talented, and then coaching staff wise, [offensive line coach] Sam Pittman, since I got there, he prepared me for this moment, just teaching me everything and not just on the field but off the field being a mentor to me.
“I’m very musically inclined. Growing up in the church, I played the drums and things like that. My freshman year in high school I was still in the band, enjoying everything, and my head coach, Chris Slade, told me I had a chance to write my own ticket playing football. And I loved the game, but music was still very important to me and he told me that I have to put my focus on football and that’s what I did.”
Jedrick Wills, Alabama
6-4, 312 pounds, 34 ¼ in. arm length, 40 time: 5.09 seconds, 10-yard split: 1.83 seconds.
“One of the reasons why I chose Alabama, I felt like they were going to develop me to be the best offensive lineman I could be. At the end of the day, they did the job. I felt like I came in day in and day out to work.
“I was born and raised in Lexington, KY. Both my mom and my dad raised me to be a good kid, to have discipline, manners, things like that. They helped me get to this point and provided everything I needed.
“You’re going to get a competitor [in me]. A good offensive lineman who’s smart. I have a high football IQ. [I’m] a mauler in the run and pass game. I try to put people on the ground as much as I can.
“I took minimal [left tackle] reps at Alabama. Leading up to this pre-draft process, I’m trying to do both because that’s something teams are asking about. I’m just trying to have that versatility. It’s something that’s new. Every time at a new position, it’s something you have to get used to. It’s something I’m trying to get comfortable with.”
Tristan Wirfs, Iowa
6-5, 320 pounds, 34-in. arm length, 40 time: 4.85 seconds, 10-yard split: 1.69 seconds.
“Wrestling [is] a big pretty big thing in Iowa. I think there are two big things you can take away from wrestling that translate over to football: body control and an awareness, and hand movement. Being able to do that I think shows teams, one, how competitive I am. It takes a lot to be a wrestler, especially people from Iowa will attest that and they're two individual sports so it's just you versus another guy. Like, I hate losing, so I'm not going to let another man beat me. I'm going to do everything I can to stop it. You've got to do the same thing on the offensive line.
“[Playing right v. left] really doesn't matter to me. Coach [Kirk] Ferentz doesn't think there's much of a difference. I played right … most of the time. If I needed to flip over left. I'd do it in the middle of a series, in the middle of drives. So it does it doesn't really matter to me.
“My best attribute? I don't know. I think I'm pretty powerful. I think I move guys off the line of scrimmage.
“Some teams said they want to see me finish more and some people wanted to see me be meaner, which I've been hearing that for I don't know how long. I tend to open up in my pass sets a little bit. Some of the teams told me that and I was like, yeah, I'm working on that. I'm trying to keep fixing that but those are a couple things."