The Cleveland Browns drafted Jedrick Wills with the tenth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and many have been displeased with the return on investment. However, through three weeks of the 2022 season, Wills has tallied the second-highest pass block win rate in the NFL.
There is a large gap between how ESPN has graded Wills out and how PFF has graded Wills out, however. Thus far, PFF has given Wills a pass blocking grade of just 59.6, crediting him with nine pressures and two sacks allowed on 96 pass blocking reps.
Jedrick Wills politely escorts Alex Highsmith off of the screen. pic.twitter.com/6ES6b7FiCd
— Cory (@realcorykinnan) September 29, 2022
This leaves quite a bit of room for interpretation, and gives me the opportunity to turn on the tape from his past game against the Pittsburgh Steelers to decide for myself. Let’s dive into the tape now.
Foot speed, foot speed, foot speed
The strength of Wills’ game is his ability to track with speed along the outside track. He has the ability and flexibility to pick up cornerbacks flying off the edge, and to handle more athletic pass rushers on the outside track.
This was no different against the Steelers as he locked down Alex Highsmith when he attacked off of the outside edge. While Highsmith may have beat him once running the circle, Wills maintained the foot speed to run the circle with him to elongate the pocket quarterback Jacoby Brissett had to work with.
Wills remains explosive out of his stance and into his set. You cannot tell he was a converted right tackle as his feet remain disciplined, clean, and crisp as he works back into his pass set. Setting at 45 degrees or vertically, Wills has the mobility to track with anyone off the edge.
His hands remain top of the line
Jedrick Wills has always possessed top-tier hands. He understands leverage and knows where to throw an initial punch. When he latches in the passing game, he could get a bit better at not over-extending through his elbows, but for the most part his hands are polished.
Against the Steelers it was more of the same as Wills continued to flash an extraordinary ability to reset his hands. Resetting of the hands is defined as the ability to counter moves thrown by pass rushers and to work back into optimal position. Wills is quite good at this.
This is especially present in the rep where All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward is aligned outside. Wills not only does a great job of anchoring down against a physically imposing tackle, but excels at working the hands of Heyward out of his frame and his hands back inside.
Wills plays with fast feet and fast hands. His technique is what has allowed him to work himself into this level of play.
Good eyes pre-snap get him to initial spot
While Jedrick Wills undoubtedly needs to play through the whistle at a higher level, there is little room to debate his ability to get his eyes where they need to be off the ball.
He has no issue identifying what his assignment pre-snap is and what his responsibility is once the ball is snapped. So while it might look like Wills is not blocking anybody from the broadcast view, he actually has his eyes peeled towards exotic pressure looks (such as cornerbacks off the edge, stunting linemen).
The general rule of thumb is to attack the man closest to the football, and if that man is covered by the guard, then Wills is right to get his eyes towards the outside track.
His misses vs. Steelers and what caused them
Wills’ biggest issue is letting one or two ugly reps mar his overall performance per game. There is a definite need for him to play through the whistle and to find a bit of a meaner streak. However, his technique is solid, and his foot speed is outstanding.
So what contributes to these misses? A few lapses in his mental game are evident, but Wills struggles most with getting too wide against speed rushers (known as oversetting). Wills’ change of direction is not as stellar as his hand technique and explosiveness out of his stance, so when he fires out to match speed off the edge, he does leave creases inside for pass rushers to exploit.
This has been seen several times with Highsmith hitting him with an inside swim as Wills oversets outside, and was evident when Carolina Panthers’ electric pass rusher Brian Burns was able to flash back across his face and take the inside track.
Against the Steelers, Wills also had the tendency to throw his hands a bit too early. When he throws his hands a bit too early, this causes him to present pass rushers with the opportunity to sit back and wait to attack.
While there is so much to like about the foot speed and way Wills uses his hands, he has to be more patient. He gets too wide trying to attack speed, he attacks too early, compromising his hands and balance. A bit more patience can take Wills’ game to another level.
The road ahead for Jedrick Wills and the Browns
Atlanta boasts Lorenzo Carter, rookie Arnold Ebiketie, and Ade Ogundeji as their primary pass rushers. While Wills will not face a Burns, Lawson, or Highsmith this week against the Falcons, he has to stay engaged and not lower his level of play to his competition.
Besides, the weeks after Wills is set to face some top tier competition off of the edge. While Joey Bosa hit the Injured Reserve for the Los Angeles Chargers, they still have Khalil Mack opposite him (and veteran Kyle Van Noy stepping in). The New England Patriots roster Matthew Judon, who is coming off of a career year and has already tallied three sacks in three games in 2022.
Needless to say, the road will not get easier for Wills. His pass protection has stood the test of the early season pass rushers Wills has faced, but he is now set for a series of top-tier rushers. The Browns will need their starting left tackle to sustain his pass rush win rate in order to continue their offensive success.
There is definite room for improvement and consistent engagement from Wills, he is a good offensive tackle who is in no danger of being benched anytime soon. In fact, his fifth-year option is a slam dunk to this point, a no brainer for the Browns to pick up.
