The 2020 NFL Draft is less than three weeks away and there are many varying opinions on what the Cleveland Browns should do with the 10th overall selection. Even the Browns Wire staff have differing opinions on the needs and approaches for the draft.
In this post, each member of the Browns Wire staff will breakdown who they would select at pick 10 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon)
Pick Selection: Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa
I would take Tristan Wirfs and install him at left tackle. I’m not worried about his lack of length. He is an athletic freak with excellent technique and ready to play at a high level right away.
Tim Torch (@TimNFL)
Pick Selection: CeeDee Lamb
As you will see with every other mock draft in the world, the most likely selection here is an offensive tackle. It is a need and it is a premium position on the team. If the Browns lean offensive tackle, I would prefer Andrew Thomas as my tackle of choice. What I am trying to get people used to is the idea of not taking an offensive tackle at with the tenth pick. There have been rumors of an offensive tackle, defensive line, and the position I would add is wide receiver. Looking beyond the 2020 season, Cleveland will likely have a decision to make at the wide receiver position and if they move on from Jarvis Landry, CeeDee Lamb would replace and be an improvement for the team.
Mac Robinson (@MacRobinson95)
Pick Selection: Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia
As the NFL offseason has unfolded, the Cleveland Browns have made some key additions to the roster, from tackle Jack Conklin and tight end Austin Hooper to safety Karl Joseph and defensive tackle Andrew Billings. One need stands above the rest in my opinion, and that is left tackle.
The stars aligned for the team as this draft class has been billed (and thus far delivered) as a special group of athletically gifted and likely long-term successes in the NFL. To be honest, I would feel comfortable with a trade down given all of the high-quality tackles.
If I had to choose one tackle here at 10, I have really come around on Andrew Thomas, offensive tackle out of Georgia, as someone who fits exactly what the Browns want.
His footwork is sound, succeeds in pass protection, and showed off his great athleticism at the NFL Combine. As someone who started four seasons (freshman year at right tackle, sophomore through senior year at left) at Georgia and only missed one game as a junior, Thomas is durable and should be able to slide in Day One.
Kyle Kelly (@ByKyleKelly)
Pick Selection: Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa
The Browns need an offensive tackle to protect Baker Mayfield’s blindside and it is necessary that they draft for that position at No. 10 overall. It’s very difficult to find a solid left tackle in the NFL, let alone a handful of them coming out of college. Wirfs played right tackle and Iowa with a few games on the left side. It is not ideal but he is the safest pick out of the top five tackles in this draft class. He’s an athletic freak and dominated the combine. In the Big 10, they make their tackles different. The last time the Browns drafted an OL from that conference in the first round it turned out pretty well. You wouldn’t see me complain with Jedrick Wills or Mekhi Becton but Wirfs is cut from a different cloth. He and Jack Conklin will make a night and day difference this season for the browns.
Josh Keatley (@JoshKeatley16)
Pick Selection: Jedrick Wills Jr., OT, Alabama
Most mock drafts have the Cleveland Browns taking an offensive tackle and for the most part I agree with that. The most common tackle being slated to Cleveland is Louisville behemoth Mekhi Becton and he would be a great addition and there would be no complaints from me. Becton checks the “planet theory” rule that Bill Parcells lives by stating that when men that big can move that well, you need to take them.
Although I love Andrew Thomas, he is typically off the board at this point, but Jedrick Wills Jr. out of Alabama is still available and that is a player I like a tad more than Becton. Wills is an elite run blocker with enough athleticism to handle elite edge defenders and the dude plays angry. The biggest reason Wills is falling in some of these mocks is his pass protection needs a bit of work, but the Browns are going to be focusing on running the ball and Wills is a phenomenal pick.