The Cleveland Browns were able to land one of the top tackles throughout the entire draft class.
They selected Alabama offensive tackle Jedrick Wills with the No. 10 overall selection during the 2020 draft.
Wills was arguably the best tackle in the draft, but was in the top four offensive tackles without a doubt.
There are always high expectations for players, especially the ones that are drafted within the top 10.
The Browns desperately needed help at the tackle spots, so Wills should be a huge upgrade for the team.
He will have less time to get ready since there will be no preseason games in 2020.
There are a few goals that Wills should accomplish this season in order to have a successful year.
1. Protect Baker Mayfield
Last season, Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield made plenty of his own mistakes that hurt Cleveland on offense.
However, the offensive line did an awful job of blocking for him and put him under too much pressure.
In 2019, Mayfield was sacked 40 times, which is quite an increase from getting taken down 25 times his rookie campaign.
The Browns have revamped their offensive line this offseason, so hopefully that will help.
They signed right tackle Jack Conklin and drafted Wills with their first selection of the draft.
#Browns new RT Jack Conklin passes his physical and signs his 3-year, $42 million contract
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) March 20, 2020
The Cleveland offensive line needs to do a much better job of blocking if they want Mayfield to succeed.
Wills allowed only one sack and 3.5 quarterback hurries during his final year at Alabama in 2019.
During that impressive year, Wills finished with a success rate of 99.0 percent on 771 snaps.
He’ll need that type of play to carry over into his professional career with the Browns.
2. Staying Healthy
This is a goal that could basically go with any player, but the Browns desperately need Wills on the field.
The best backup option the Browns have at the tackle spot is Chris Hubbard.
He is not a bad player, but Hubbard isn’t someone you want starting on your team, especially for a long period of time.
The good news is, Wills finished his career at Alabama by playing 28 straight games.
He was healthy throughout most of his time in college, but sometimes you can’t control injuries.
As mentioned earlier, there is no preseason, so Wills won’t get as much time on the field as he’d normally would receive any other season.
He’ll need to do his best to stay in shape and get his body prepared for the 2020 season.
The Browns can’t afford to lose their top draft selection, especially when they don’t have many reliable options behind Wills.
3. Transitioning To Left Tackle
As stated earlier, the Browns signed Conklin to a three-year deal to play right tackle.
That means Wills will be asked to shift over to the left tackle spot in Cleveland.
He played almost exclusively at right tackle in college, but the Browns believe Wills can make a smooth transition.
"We feel confident in our ability to work with him and make sure he is up to speed," Browns GM Berry says about Jedrick Wills playing left tackle.
— Jen Steer (@jensteer) April 24, 2020
Switching to a different tackle spot is not quite as easy as it might sound.
It is going to take some time to adjust and understand what he needs to do from the left side.
Sadly, Wills won’t get any preseason action to practice against a real team.
However, he is such a talented player that this move might not be too difficult for him.
It’ll be interesting to see how Wills performs, especially early in the season.
