CBS Sports released their preseason All-American team. The Longhorns have two players listed among the first and second team.
There are less than 21 days away from the Texas Longhorns officially kicking off the 2020 college football season. All of the watchlist have been announced. The Amway Coaches Poll and AP Poll have released their preseason rankings and now each media outlet is putting together their preseason All-American lists. CBS Sports recently released their first and second team All-Americans.
For the Player of the yYear selection, no surprise here at Trevor Lawrence was named as the winner. However, Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger also received votes for the honor. Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard was the only other Big 12 player named as receiving votes.
In terms of coach of the year, former Longhorns head coach Mack Brown was named along with TCU’s Gary Patterson. Provided the Longhorns have a big season and contend for a spot in the College Football Playoff, expect to hear Tom Herman’s name when the time comes for awards.
First Team All-American
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
For the lone Longhorn named to the first team we have offensive tackle Samuel Cosmi. Cosmi has been receiving NFL Draft buzz as well as second team All-American honors. This time Ehlinger’s blindside protector gets the first team nod. Cosmi has performed better and better each season. Plus if you need a touchdown pass from the big guy, you know he is good for at least one.
Second Team All-American
Image courtesy of Texas Sports
Sam Ehlinger comes in as the second team’s quarterback. The senior has been placed on almost every watchlist when it comes to top offensive player and quarterback awards. Many feel he is even a Heisman contender this season. With a strong showing, the Austin Native could be a finalist for the award. Lawrence will obviously be the front runner.
Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez releases his scouting reports and rankings for the top-20 offensive tackles in the 2020 NFL Draft.
To get you guys ready for the 2020 NFL Draft, I’ve been hard at work at putting together a draft guide that will serve as a one-stop shop as to how hundreds of college prospects fit with the Chargers and how I think they will project at the next level all together.
I’m putting the final details to the guide and am aiming to release it in the next few days. But while I do that, I wanted to give you all a sneak peak as to what’s inside.
With that, here are my rankings and reports for the top-20 offensive tackles in the upcoming draft:
Ranking
Player
College
Round
OT1
Jedrick Wills
Alabama
1
OT2
Tristan Wirfs
Iowa
1
OT3
Mekhi Becton
Louisville
1
OT4
Andrew Thomas
Georgia
1
OT5
Josh Jones
Houston
1-2
OT6
Ezra Cleveland
Boise State
1-2
OT7
Austin Jackson
USC
1-2
OT8
Ben Bartch
St. John’s
2
OT9
Lucas Niang
TCU
2
OT10
Isaiah Wilson
Georgia
2-3
OT11
Matt Peart
UConn
3
OT12
Prince Tega Wanogho
Auburn
3
OT13
Saahdiq Charles
LSU
3-4
OT14
Hakeem Adeniji
Kansas
4
OT15
Jack Driscoll
Auburn
4-5
OT16
Tyre Phillips
Mississippi State
5-6
OT17
Charlie Heck
North Carolina
6
OT18
Alex Taylor
South Carolina State
6
OT19
Trey Adams
Washington
6-7
OT20
Yasir Durant
Missouri
7
Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
1. Jedrick Wills Jr. | Alabama | #74 | Junior | Lexington, KY | 6042 | 312
40-Yard Dash: 5.05 seconds
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 34.5 inches
Broad Jump: 113 inches
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.84 seconds
Career: Strictly played right tackle for the Tide. Started 29 games for Alabama in three years with the program.
Red Flags: N/A
Strengths: Uses a quick kick step to get into his sets. Displays sound footwork to mirror outside speed rushers. Slides laterally and moves feet in all directions with ease. Bends the knees and sinks hips. Maintains leverage and positioning throughout the play. Patient, coordinated movements. Shoots hands with tenacity, controlling opponents’ movements. Sets up run blocks with a quick first step out of his stance. Keeps pads low and can deliver some movement on first contact. Can pick up blocks on the move and stun with a striking punch. High football IQ and aware blocker. Recognizes stunts and blitzers. Nasty competitor.
Weaknesses: Base can get too wide in pass protection. Hands can wonder, leaving his chest open at times. Tries to go for the home run punch at times. Susceptible to inside moves.
Final Word: Wills is a good athlete who is light on his feet with impressive play strength and a competitive demeanor in the running game to overwhelm his opponents, but will need to continue to refine his hands in pass protection, projecting as a starting right tackle with All-Pro upside.
Fit Likelihood: Medium
2. Tristan Wirfs | Iowa | #74 | Junior | Mount Vernon, IA | 6047 | 320
40-Yard Dash: 4.85 seconds
Bench Press: 24 reps
Vertical Jump: 36.5 inches
Broad Jump: 121 inches
3-Cone Drill: 7.65 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.68 seconds
Career: First true freshman starter in Kirk Ferentz era. Started 33 games (28 at right tackle, 5 at left tackle).
Red Flags: Arrested for DWI in 2018 and suspended for a season opener. Cited for being underage at a bar in 2019.
Strengths: NFL caliber build and very impressive movement skills. Shows a high football IQ at tackle. Powerful finisher and shows impressive toughness on the edge against power moves and in the run game. Light on his feet—a dancing bear—and is able to slide laterally or get depth with his kick-step. Balance and length are pluses to his game, and he can get low and play with leverage in the run game as needed. Heavy hands and punches with great placement at the chest. Athleticism and nasty streak at the second level.
Weaknesses:Doesn’t always bend naturally at the knees, and he tries to use his length to reach and often overextends at his base, leading to a lunge against speed rushers. Can use his head and shoulders to absorb contact.
Final Word: Even though his lack of length has some projecting him to kick inside, Wirfs is a freakish athlete who possesses solid movement skills, lower-body strength to move bodies in the run game, refined hands and very good competitive toughness projecting as a long-term starting tackle or guard.
Fit Likelihood: High
3. Mekhi Becton | Louisville | #73 | Junior | Highland Springs, VA | 6073 | 364
40-Yard Dash: 5.10 seconds
Bench Press: 23 reps
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Career: Started as a true freshman for the Cardinals. Started over 30 games during his college career.
Red Flags: N/A
Strengths: A long, massive, unbelievably huge person. Wins with power and athleticism. Can beat defenders up with his size and will get low to push through defenders and bulldoze them out of the play. Exceptionally nimble feet to get depth when moving laterally. He uses his size well and can win with length on the corner. Mauler in the run game, will eat up defenders when climbing to the second level.
Weaknesses: Needs to monitor weight over professional career. Weight control over the course of his career. Does carry it and move well, but you want that number to continue to creep lower, not higher for the sake of conditioning purposes. Can lean into contact, forcing him to lose balance. Doesn’t consistently use proper hand techniques.
Final Word: Becton is a large blocker who is an excellent pass protector and run-blocker, possessing a rare combination of power and athleticism, but he will need to refine his hand technique in pass protection and clean up some overaggressive tendencies, projecting as a solid starter at left or right tackle.
Fit Likelihood: High
4. Andrew Thomas | Georgia | #71 | Junior | Lithonia, GA | 6051 | 315
40-Yard Dash: 5.22 seconds
Bench Press: 21 reps
Vertical Jump: 30.5 inches
Broad Jump: 109 inches
3-Cone Drill: 7.58 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.66 seconds
Career: Started 41 career games while garnering all-American honors in 2018 and 2019. Stepped in as a true freshman at right tackle for the Bulldogs.
Red Flags: Dealt with a minor ankle injury in 2018 but hasn’t missed time on the field.
Strengths: Solid size and athleticism. Good initial quickness. Can get to and block effectively at the second level. Flashes violence in his initial hand punch to control defenders. Good recoil and settle in pass protection. Can absorb the bull rush and anchor effectively. Flashes foot quickness and balance on the perimeter and in space.
Weaknesses: Oversets in pass block, inconsistent knee bend. Hands can get too wide. Flashes nastiness, but needs to play with more consistency. Overextends at times, often losing balance.
Final Word: Thomas is a high-end athlete who possesses adequate footwork, heavy hands, intelligence and toughness to make an impact as a pass protector and run-blocker, but he needs to clean up the balance and mechanical issues, projecting as a starting tackle in a zone scheme.
Career: Started 45 games during his career. Stepped into the starting job as a redshirt freshman.
Red Flags: Dealt with minor injuries in 2017 and 2019 but never missed significant time.
Strengths: Gifted athlete. Effortless lateral quickness with light feet. Rarely allowed a rusher to wrap his outside shoulder, shutting down the corner on tape. Flexible hips to react to inside moves. Uses his length to meet rushers mid – shuffle. Aggressive run blocker, latching and running his feet. Mean streak and plays with an attitude. Doesn’t give up much ground. Athletic and does an adequate job getting into the second level.
Weaknesses: Clunky technique and often finds himself out of position. Needs to get stronger at the point of attack. Flat steps in his kick slide. Caught leaning and doesn’t have a firm grasp on timing. Needs to tighten up his punch and handwork, leaving his chest open for rushers and sustaining in the run game.
Final Word: Jones is a quick-footed blocker who possesses reactive athleticism, good body control, flexibility and the range and mobility to block in the open space, but there are concerns with his anchor and sustaining in the run game, projecting as a starting left tackle in a zone scheme.
According to ESPN’s draft predictor, Andrew Thomas has the highest percent chance of being available for the Jets with the 11th pick.
There’s a good chance the Jets will draft an offensive tackle with the 11th pick in just over a week. But which lineman has the best odds of going to New York?
According to ESPN’s draft predictor, Andrew Thomas has the highest chance of being available to the Jets at 53 percent. He’s followed by Jedrick Wills Jr. at 43 percent, Mekhi Becton at 25 percent and Tristan Wirfs at 6 percent.
This seems to be in accordance with most mock drafts, as many pundits believe that three offensive linemen will go before the 11th pick. There’s a chance that all four are gone by the time the Jets are on the clock, in which case they would take a receiver.
Trades could change everything, but right now, the Cardinals, Jaguars, Browns and even the Giants could take an offensive tackle with their first pick. Teams like the Buccaneers and Dolphins could also leapfrog the Jets in an attempt to get one of the top four offensive tackles in this draft.
ESPN believes that the Jets will have a shot at Thomas or Wills if they stay put at 11. Of course, the percent chance they have at acquiring any of the four tackles increases if they elect to trade up.
If Joe Douglas doesn’t see a tackle he likes, one of the draft’s top-three receivers, if not all of them, should be available at No. 11. It could come down to whether or not Douglas would rather have the fourth-best tackle or whoever the Jets view to be the draft’s best receiver.
Georgia football star Andrew Thomas considered top offensive tackle prospect in 2020 NFL Draft according to former Alabama QB Greg McElroy
While hosting ESPNU Radio’s “The First Team” Tuesday morning on Sirius XM, former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy talked offensive tackles and who he’d name the best in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, Alabama’s Jedrick Wills, Louisville’s Mekhi Becton and Georgia’s Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson are all viewed as the top offensive tackle prospects in this month’s draft, and all could go in the first round on April 23rd.
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However, one of these guys has to go first. So who will that be?
Former college and NFL coach Charlie Weiss joined McElroy’s show and asked him for some assistance in separating the tackles from one another.
McElroy took a while, but he eventually answered the question, stating that Thomas is the best answer longterm.
McElroy’s response:
“The guy that I have legitimate questions about is Mekhi Becton. So basically, I’m good with any of the first round tackles (excluding Becton), whatever order you want to have them in. I think Wills is probably the best run blocker of the bunch, but I don’t think he’s a Left Tackle under any circumstance. So I think both he and Wirfs are both very, very solid, but the guy, if I had to play one on the left side, it would be Andrew Thomas, he’s the one I’d feel good about longterm.”
Andrew Thomas’ Georgia career:
Thomas was named to Freshman All-America Teams by ESPN, USA Today and the Football Writers Association of America in 2017. He played in all 15 games, making 15 starts as a true freshman at right tackle. Additionally, he was one of three offensive Newcomers of the Year.
During his sophomore year, He switched to left tackle and earned second-team Associated Press All-American and first-team All-SEC honors after starting 13 games.
In 2019, he started 13 games at left tackle and was awarded first-team Associated Press All-American and first-team all-conference honors.
