Tennessee Titans select Georgia OT Isaiah Wilson with 29th pick in 2020 NFL Draft

Thursday, the Tennessee Titans selected Georgia OT Isaiah Wilson with the 29th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

With the 29th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, theTennessee Titans select Isaiah Wilson, offensive tackle from the University of Georgia.

The red-shirt sophomore decided to declare for this year’s draft early and now he will join a long line of Georgia offensive lineman in the NFL.

Wilson played 25 games at Georgia and was named to the  Football Writers Assn. of America Freshman All-America Team as a red-shirt freshman and in 2019 was named to the Associated Press All-SEC 2nd Team.

NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said:

“I think if you get him in the second round, then you’ve got yourself a player that you think has a bright future. If he’s brought along at a nice pace and coached up, there’s a lot of talent to work with there.”

How much will Jets OT Mekhi Becton make on his rookie deal?

The Jets should expect to sign first-round draft pick Mekhi Becton for less than $20 million.

The Jets have their potential offensive tackle of the future in Mekhi Becton after taking him 11th overall. Now, it’s time to pay him.

Becton is expected to sign a rookie contract for four years and $18.4 million, according to Spotrac. As a first-round pick, Becton’s contract also comes with a fifth-year option.

Becton’s deal is estimated to come with an $11 million signing bonus. Becton’s 2020 cap hit would be around $3,353,823, which would leave the Jets with about $15 million in cap space heading into the rest of the draft if they don’t trade back into the first round.

Becton was the third offensive tackle taken in the 2020 draft and the first to go 11th overall since the Titans took Taylor Lewan in 2014. He should immediately slide into a starting role on the Jets offensive line as either a right or left tackle.

Instant Analysis: Mekhi Becton’s massive frame a boost for Jets’ revamped line

The Jets get a generational talent at tackle with the huge frame of Mekhi Becton.

Joe Douglas and the Jets went big and bad with the 11th overall pick Thursday night when they took Louisville offensive tackle Mekhi Becton. 

The Jets wanted a wall to keep Sam Darnold upright and Becton is as big as they come. Not only is Becton enormous and powerful, but he’s also nimble for his size; he ran a 5.10 40-yard dash time. The 6-foot-7, 364-pound behemoth should start immediately at left or right tackle on the Jets’ revamped offensive line responsible for protecting Sam Darnold. 

“We’re so excited to add a guy this size and athletic ability,” Joe Douglas told reporters after making his first pick as a general manager. A guy we feel can fortify our front for the long term.”

Becton is an amazing talent but is incredibly raw. He only played in 73 true pass sets in Louisville’s play-action, screen-pass heavy offense at Louisville. He graded out as the 45th-best offensive tackle in FBS in 2019 with a 79.3 Pro Football Focus grade. Becton appears to be a great run-blocker, though, which should help Le’Veon Bell a lot in 2020. He could struggle at times early on but the potential is there for Becton to become the next great Jets’ offensive lineman.

Many will wonder why the Jets didn’t go with Tristian Wirfs, a more polished and quicker lineman than Becton who didn’t come with concerns over weight or a failed combine drug test. But Douglas didn’t pass up the opportunity to draft arguably the biggest player in the 2020 draft, and now Becton will be tasked with helping turn around one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL.

Grade: B-

Bucs select OT Tristan Wirfs in first round of NFL Draft

Iowa offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Iowa offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs with the 13th overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday evening.

Wirfs (6-5, 320 pounds) ran a 40-yard dash in 4.85 seconds and bench-pressed 225 pounds 24 times at the combine earlier this offseason. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has compared Wirfs to Bryan Bulaga, who was a first-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

“Consistency of play could take some time, but he has the ability to become a good starter at either right tackle or guard,” Zierlein wrote of Wirfs on NFL.com before the draft.

Wirf’s versatility as an offensive lineman who can play multiple positions certainly helped his draft stock. He was the third-best offensive tackle in this year’s class, according to Luke Easterling’s rankings on Draft Wire.

Georgia’s Andrew Thomas and Alabama’s Jedrick Wills were the only offensive tackles Draft Wire had ranked higher than Wirfs.

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Jets select OL Mekhi Becton in first round of NFL Draft

Louisville offensive tackle Mekhi Becton was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the New York Jets.

The New York Jets selected Louisville offensive tackle Mekhi Becton with the 11th pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday evening.

Becton (6-7, 364 pounds) ran a 40-yard dash in 5.1 seconds and bench-pressed 225 pounds 23 times at the combine earlier this offseason. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has compared Becton to Bryant McKinnie, who was a first-round pick in the 2002 NFL Draft.

“He has the potential to be a good starter on either side, but the weight creates an obvious low-floor scenario,” Zierlein wrote of Becton on NFL.com before the draft.

Becton showed off his versatility in college, spending time both at left tackle and right tackle. He earned first-team All-ACC honors after starting at left tackle during the 2019 season.

Becton was the fourth-best offensive tackle in this year’s class, according to Luke Easterling’s rankings for Draft Wire. Georiga’s Andrew Thomas, Alabama’s Jedrick Wills and Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs were the only offensive tackles that Draft Wire had ranked higher than Becton.

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Browns select OT Jedrick Wills in first round of NFL Draft

Alabama offensive tackle Jedrick Wills was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.

The Cleveland Browns selected Alabama offensive tackle Jedrick Wills with the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft on Thursday evening.

Wills (6-4, 312 pounds) ran a 40-yard dash in 5.05 seconds and ran a 20-yard shuttle in 4.84 seconds at the combine earlier this offseason. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has compared Wills to Jason Peters, a Super Bowl champion and nine-time Pro Bowler.

“His game is tailor-made for the NFL, and his range of success is good starter to All-Pro,” Zeirlein wrote of Wills on NFL.com before the draft.

Wills was the second-best offensive tackle in this year’s class, according to Luke Easterling’s rankings on Draft Wire. Georiga’s Andrew Thomas is the only offensive tackle ranked higher than Wills in Draft Wire’s rankings.

Wills started 29 games at Alabama, spending his junior year at right tackle. He earned second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press last season after helping the Crimson Tide go 11-2 in 2019.

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Giants select OT Andrew Thomas in first round of NFL Draft

Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the New York Giants.

The New York Giants selected Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas with the fourth pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft on Thursday evening.

Thomas (6-5, 315 pounds) ran a 40-yard dash in 5.22 seconds and bench-pressed 225 pounds 21 times at the combine earlier this offseason. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has compared Thomas to Ja’Wuan James, who was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

“He’s a Day 1 starter who comes in well-coached and technically savvy, but occasional leaning, lunging and inconsistent knee bend in pass pro could be isolated and attacked by pass-rush wolves looking to feast if he doesn’t get those areas cleaned up,” Zierlein wrote of Thomas on NFL.com.

Thomas was the best offensive tackle in this year’s class, according to Luke Easterling’s rankings for Draft Wire. Thomas is ranked just above Alabama’s Jedrick Wills and Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs in Draft Wire’s rankings.

The Denver Broncos are scheduled to pick at No. 15.

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Georgia OT Andrew Thomas goes top-ten in CBS Sports’ NFL mock draft

Wednesday, CBS Sports released a final mock draft and Georgia football OT Andrew Thomas was picked to go No. 6 to the Chargers.

The virtual 2020 NFL Draft is tomorrow and as the final round of mock drafts are released, we take a look to see where some of the top Georgia players are predicted to go.

In CBS Sports’ latest one-round mock draft, Georgia’s Andrew Thomas is predicted to land with the Los Angeles Chargers at pick No. 6.

CBS Sports wrote:

“I think if the Chargers have a shot at getting Tua, they’ll do it in this spot. But despite the late buzz for Justin Herbert, Plan B for L.A. could be to just take one of this year’s elite tackles after trading away Russell Okung, and then try and get a quarterback later.”

There has been speculation as to who is the best offensive lineman in the 2020 draft class. Most of the conversation revolves around Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, Alabama’s Derrick Willis Jr., Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs and Louisville’s Mekhi Becton.

Thomas definitely made his case as the best tackle in his three years at Georgia.

As a freshman, Thomas was named to Freshman All-America teams by ESPN, USA Today and the Football Writers Association of America and as a sophomore he was named 1st team All-American by Sports Illustrated. In 2019, as a junior, Thomas was a Walter Camp 1st team All-American and the recipient of the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy.

Don’t believe in accolades proving talent? Just watch Thomas make potential first round pick and LSU defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson look average.

While the debate continues over the next day on who should be the first blocker taken, we all should agree that Thomas is the best piano player in the 2020 draft class.

Notre Dame OT Eichenberg is A Top 2021 NFL Draft Prospect

Irish offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg should be hearing his named called early in next years NFL Draft.

Notre Dame offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg could have left early to the NFL this past season but opted to return for his final season with the Irish. If he had decided to leave, most likely would have been either a first-round pick or at worst a second rounder.

By staying for his redshirt senior year, Eichenberg will add on to the 26 starts under his belt this upcoming season. Viewed as the leader of the offensive line, the left tackle will lead a group that returns everyone and should be viewed as one of the best groups in the nation.

Looking ahead to the 2021 draft, Eichenberg will not a have a decision to make at the end of the year, but NFL teams will. College Football News named Eichenberg as the 15th ranked best player regardless of position who will be selected next year. The third offensive lineman on the list behind Oregon’s Penei Sewell and Standfords Walker Little, the Irish star should hear his name called early.

Pete Fuitak, the publisher of CFN, does see some issue’s NFL teams might see in Eichenberg as “he’s not as massive as some might like, and he’ll likely be just behind the prototype-looking tackles at the top of the 2021 NFL Draft.” Regardless of any nitpicking NFL teams may do regarding the tackle, Eichenberg is still in line to join the likes of Mike McGlinchey and Ronnie  as Notre Dame tackles selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Broncos GM John Elway sees depth at WR, CB and OL in NFL Draft

The Broncos will probably target these three positions early in the NFL Draft.

With the 2020 NFL Draft just one day away, we don’t know which player the Denver Broncos will select in the first round. We can make an educated guess that the player will be either a wide receiver, cornerback or offensive lineman. Receiver seems to be the favorite.

“There are a lot of good wideouts,” Broncos general manager John Elway said during a Zoom conference call with reporters on Monday. “It’s hard to say exactly how it’s going to fall. I think the good thing is and the fortunate thing is — for us as you said, we do need a wideout — it’s a deep class. We’ll just have to see how things fall.”

The top wide receivers on Draft Wire’s big board are Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb and Henry Ruggs. If Denver doesn’t go after one of those receivers, the team might look to add a left tackle at No. 15.

“There is some good depth at tackle too,” Elway said. “I think that’s one of the stronger positions. That’s the thing that we’ll continue to do our mock drafts the next couple of days, just kind of play with different scenarios to see how they fall and fall with other positions and what direction we may go.”

The top offensive tackles on Draft Wire’s big board are Andrew Thomas, Jedrick Wills, Tristan Wirfs and Mekhi Becton. It’s probably safe to assume that the Broncos will add an offensive lineman in the first three rounds.

If Denver doesn’t go receiver or tackle, cornerback would probably be the team’s third-most likely position to target in the first round.

Elway also pointed out the draft’s depth at cornerback and he specifically name-dropped Jeff Okudah, CJ Henderson, Trevon Diggs and A.J. Terrell as some of the top CBs in this year’s class. He did not mention Kristian Fulton, which may or may not have been a coincidence.

Expect the Broncos to target WRs, CBs and OL early in the draft — the order of when those positions are targeted remains to be seen.

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