Retooling the Cleveland Browns 3.0: Pre-Combine mock draft
By Mitch Zoloty
There are two offensive line prospects in this year’s draft that I am absolutely enamored with, and those are Jedrick Wills Jr and Andrew Thomas. They seem to be among the top four offensive tackles on every draft expert’s board.
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However, Andrew Thomas’ draft stock has been slipping recently, for reasons not known to me. Originally projected to be the fourth pick in the draft, some have been projecting him to fall all the way down to 18 to the Dolphins’ second first-round pick.
Snagging an elite left tackle here for the Browns would be incredibly beneficial to Baker Mayfield’s development as he enters his third season with the franchise. Some may not see his ceiling as high as other tackles in the NFL draft like Mehki Becton, but I think that’s a dangerous game to play.
Drafting for potential on a team like the Browns, which is built to win now, is a recipe for disaster. Thomas has the highest floor of any offensive tackle in the draft, so the Browns selecting him here would be great for the team.
Listed at 6-foot-5 and 320-lbs, he could stand to lose a little weight and sharpen up his footwork, but no prospect is perfect and those are nitpicky things. Thomas fits more into a power run scheme than Kevin Stefanski’s zone run scheme, but I don’t think that will be much of a deterrent to drafting him.
I’ve previously expressed my confidence in Bill Callahan to turn draft picks into pro bowlers, and Thomas could be the next one in his great line of pro bowl offensive linemen.