Offensive lineman Jedrick Wills has inked his rookie contract. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that the 10th-overall pick in the 2020 draft has signed his four-year rookie deal with the Browns.
Per the terms of his slot, Wills signed a four-year deal worth $19.7MM. The deal is fully guaranteed and includes an $11.89MM signing bonus. Cabot notes that the rookie flew to Cleveland on Tuesday to sign his contract.
The 6-foot-4, 312-pound lineman spent three seasons at Alabama. This included a 2019 campaign where he protected Tua Tagovailoa‘s blind spot en route to a second-team All-American nod and first-team All-SEC honors. In 29 starts at Alabama, Wills only allowed a single sack.
As Cabot writes, Wills has been working virtually with offensive line coach Bill Callahan and former Browns left tackle Joe Thomas. Despite the unconventional offseason, Callahan has made it clear that he won’t have any reservations about starting the rookie at left tackle in front of Baker Mayfield.
With the signing, the Browns have now signed five of their seven draft picks, via PFR’s 2020 NFL Draft Tracker:
1-10: Jedrick Wills, T (Alabama): Signed
2-44: Grant Delpit, S (LSU)
3-88: Jordan Elliott, LB (Missouri): Signed
3-97: Jacob Phillips, LB (LSU)
4-115: Harrison Bryant, TE (Florida Atlantic): Signed
5-160: Nick Harris, C (Washington): Signed
6-187: Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR (Michigan): Signed
If alabama and other top programs can get the best 5 star ol, why bother with an athletic mobile qb thats gonna scramble and get hurt anyway?
Any players picked in the top 10 should be expected too start. Less they have an injury, like Tua.
That’s not necessarily true. A lot of players are picked for their athleticism and potential. They may be too raw to immediately contribute and need a year to adjust to the NFL lifestyle. The professional league is quite an adjustment from the college level, as you can’t rely purely on speed. You must develop technique and ability. Some of that is gained through observance. Case in point, Mahomes sat out his first year and that seemed to work out about as well as one could expect.
Furthermore, if your offensive line is garbage, you don’t want to immediately thrust your franchise quarterback into action. For instance, David Carr and Tim Couch became damaged goods because their protection consisted of a series of expansion players. I generally agree with your statement, but there’s always exceptions to the rule
There’s no substitute for actual game experience – which will always be the best teacher. Given the records he’s already set, It’s quite likely Mahomes would have been effective as a rookie starter. He’s not a particularly good example of someone who needed time to adjust to a learning curve.
How do you know learning behind Alex Smith and Andy Reid didn’t benefit Mahomes? For all you know, it very well could have. I’m not saying all players should sit out their initial season, but to suggest everyone must immediately contribute is an ignorant generalization