It appears that the Cleveland Browns hit the hammer on the head with their first-round pick.
Offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. was named Week 10 Rookie of the Week.
He becomes the first Browns rookie since 2018 to capture that title.
In 2018, Nick Chubb, Baker Mayfield, and Denzel Ward all won the award at least once.
What makes this recognition more special is that Wills was the winner as an offensive lineman.
Since 2002, only three linemen have ever won the award, while Wills is the first lineman to win since 2013.
#Browns Jedrick Wills Jr is the Week 10 #NFL rookie of the week❗️
Wills led the Browns O-Line with a Pass Blocking Grade of 88.9 vs the Texans, per @PFF.
Jedrick ranks 12th among Tackles in the league with a Pass Blocking Grade of 82.0.@JWills73 ☄️ pic.twitter.com/7RV4Yw2f73
— The Hottest Take Sports Podcast (@Hottest_TakePod) November 21, 2020
Integral Part Of The Line
In Cleveland’s win over the Houston Texans last Sunday, running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt made history.
Chubb finished the game with 126 yards on the ground, while Hunt added 104 rushing yards, both on 19 carries respectively.
It marked the first time two Browns running backs rushed over 100 yards in the same game since the don of the Super Bowl era.
The last time this happened in Cleveland dates back to Leroy Kelly (113) and Ernie Green (103) in a 41-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1966.
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are the 1st Browns duo with 100 Rush yards in the same game since 1966.
They are the 5th duo in Browns history to do that overall – each of the previous 4 duos featured at least 1 Hall of Famer. pic.twitter.com/KfVA7L0sgw
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 15, 2020
Just think about it.
Star players like Ernest Byner and Kevin Mack never accomplished this, when both running backs rushed over 1,000 yards in 1985.
A lot of that had to do with Wills’ blocking; hence, why he was named the top rookie last week.
Shouldn’t Be Surprised
When Wills was playing at Alabama, he was one of the best linemen in the nation.
He was named Second-Team All-American from AFCA, Associated Press, The Sporting News, and Walter Camp.
Along with being All-SEC First-Team by the AP, he was a Third-Team All-American at tackle by Pro Football Focus.
His dominance in 2019 showed throughout the season.
Wills allowed 3.5 quarterback hurries in 771 snaps for a success rate of 99.0% to go with just one sack.
Alabama’s offensive line as a whole allowed .92 sacks per game, which ranked third in the nation.
Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama
– He can dominate in blocks
– Really like his hands and feet
– Not an insane athlete but looks smooth.
– Some project as RT or even G
– Shot up draft boards in recent weeks
– 1 QB pressure last 5 gamesRun block breakdown: pic.twitter.com/xffOKAyFeW
— Anthony Tomaino (@AnthonyNYGiant) January 1, 2020
In college, Wills helped block for a rushing attack that averaged 5.5 yards per carry.
The fact that Wills is back at it at the professional level is not all the surprising.
There was a reason that he was taken with the No. 10 overall pick and it had everything to do with his ability to help the rushing attack.
That is the best part of the Browns offense and Wills will need to continue to keep it going if the Browns are going to make a run at making the postseason.
Can Wills Repeat?
Given that only three linemen have won the award since 2002, it would take a miracle for this to happen.
The Texans owned the worst rushing defense in the league, allowing over 150 rushing yards per game.
For Week 11, the Browns will look to take on the Philadelphia Eagles, which is the No. 25 ranked rushing defense.
The Eagles allow 133.0 rushing yards per game, so it’s more likely to see Chubb and Hunt repeat with 100 yards each.
Even that would be a surprise though.
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