Jedrick Wills Update – Stefanski said all the right things
By STEVE KING
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said – in several different ways – on Saturday that he has full confidence in his starting left tackle, rookie Jedrick Wills Jr.
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Indeed, he gave the team’s first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft a lot of praise.
Stefanski spoke with complete conviction, as if he really, truly believes it, and that it wasn’t just coach-speak. I think that is the case. After all, the Browns spent a lot of time, money and energy scouting Wills, and I am certain that he hasn’t changed his opinion, especially before the Alabama product plays even a down in the regular season.
And even if Stefanski were no longer on the Wills bandwagon – which, again, is almost an impossibility – he couldn’t do anything but to utter glowing remarks about him. Rookies need confidence, and the praise of the head coach provides plenty of that.
Baker Mayfield to Austin Hooper (via #Browns) pic.twitter.com/y8kOFIuPw4
— BrownsWave \\: (@BrownsByBrad) August 30, 2020
After all, what else was Stefanski supposed to say? Certainly not something like this:
“Look, we’re opening against the Ravens – in Baltimore, to boot – and one of the last things I want to be doing against that defense is starting a rookie in Jedrick Willis at one of the most important positions on the team in left tackle. That, coupled with the fact we’re likely going to be starting another rookie, Nick Harris, at center, giving us two newbies on the offensive line, is making my stomach hurt – a lot. Those two guys, with Jedrick protecting the blind side and Nick making the blocking calls, are being charged with keeping upright the guy we think is our franchise quarterback in Baker Mayfield. If either of them messes up badly – and rookies tend to that, you know — then Baker could end up getting dismembered. I’m a rookie, too, as a coach and I’m being paid to win, but that’s going to be much harder to do in that opener with two rookies. Does the fact you can see that I’m sweating profusely while just talking about the situation, give you an idea of just how worried I am?”
8-31-20: HARRIS IS THE WORRY, NOT WILLS
I am not worried – at least not very much — about Browns rookie left tackle Jedrick Wills.
I thought he was the best left tackle prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft, even though he played right tackle at Alabama, and I was thrilled that he was there for the Browns to take. Sure, you worry about any rookie, and you know there may be some early hiccups – after all, not many people are like Joe Thomas, who was outstanding from the get-go – but I think he will be fine much sooner rather than later.
The guy I’m worried about – a whole lot – on that offensive line and on the team as a whole, really, is rookie center Nick Harris, who is expected to start for the injured JC Tretter in the regular-season opener at Baltimore in a little less than two weeks now. Harris was a fifth-rounder taken at No. 160 overall, or 150 spots behind Wills, so there’s no guarantee – or even much expectation – that he will be anything special.
With all that having been said, then, you have to believe that the very good Ravens defense is licking its chops, waiting for a chance to seize upon the opportunity this presents. Especially since the Cleveland defense is suspect, the Ravens are going to score points, so the Browns have to do the same in order to keep up. But can they match the Ravens point for point – will quarterback Baker Mayfield have time to throw and, much more importantly in head coach/de-facto offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski’s offense, will they be able to run the ball effectively – with Harris being counted on to fortify things in the middle and make the proper blocking calls?
I don’t know. I just don’t know. And so that’s why I’m worried – again, a lot.
Make absolutely no mistake about it, that is already well-established as the key to the game for the Browns. Here’s hoping Harris is a quick learner.
