It is largely believed that the Arizona Cardinals will select an offensive tackle with the eighth pick in the 2020 draft. There are four top tackles believed to be worth a top-10 pick.
They are Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, Louisville’s Mekhi Becton and Alabama’s Jedrick Wills.
If any of these players are the Cardinals’ first-round pick, it will be to play right tackle, at least initially. The Cardinals, after all, are set at left tackle with D.J. Humphries for at least the next two seasons.
All four players have experience there. Thomas was a Freshman All-American at right tackle and then moved to left tackle after his freshman year.
Becton played right tackle his freshman year and moved to the left side his sophomore year.
Wirfs played most of his games in college at right tackle.
Wills played exclusively at right tackle.
Now, when teams typically draft a tackle in the top 10 of the draft, that player is usually expected to eventually play left tackle.
Becton and Thomas should make the move easily. Wirfs started many games at left tackle at Iowa and even said at the NFL combine that he would even sometimes switch sides in the same series on the field.
However, Wills has no game experience at left tackle. He was a right tackle in high school. At Alabama he only got “minimal reps” on the left side, Wills revealed at the combine.
He believes he can play on the left side and has done drills on the left side in the predraft process, but if a team looks at Wills as a future left tackle, it is a complete projection.
Wills might be the best right tackle in the group. It is, after all, his natural position. Will he be significantly better at that position to take him over one of the others, who could potentially be a quality NFL player at either position?
That is a question to consider as the Cardinals prepare their draft board and make their first-round selection.
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Ep. 262
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Ep. 261
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