Cleveland Browns: 5 young players who must take leap forward in 2021

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Jun 16, 2021; Berea, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills (71) defends against defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during minicamp at the Cleveland Browns training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Jedrick Wills

None of Cleveland’s 2021 draft picks have to start right away. That was certainly not the case with Wills in 2020, as he was the team’s starting tackle from the moment he was selected 10th overall. Wills played on the right side in college, and the transition from RT to LT is a very difficult one. Add in the lack of a typical offseason, preseason, and in-person instruction for much of minicamp and training camp, and no one would have faulted Wills for having a rough rookie year.

Instead, he impressed all season long as a pass blocker, allowing just 20 pressures; only six qualifying left tackles allowed fewer. He was far from perfect, but Wills’ inaugural campaign was extremely encouraging.

In year two, he needs to play as opposed to thinking; there are many snaps on his tape where he seems to end his rep early while the play is still going on, which could be due to him relying too much on his internal clock, which is understandable for a rookie.

He was also a dominant run blocker at Alabama, but was too often a non-factor in the run game. If he can get anywhere close to the level he blocked at in college, the Browns rushing attack will take a massive step forward, and it was already pretty darn good.