When the Cleveland Browns made Jedrick Wills the 10th overall pick in the 2020 draft, the hope was that he would be their left tackle of the future. Unfortunately, it appears that Cleveland made the wrong decision and they will soon need to find a replacement.
Despite Wills having a high rating according to a pass-block win rate chart, this is incredibly misleading. Wills has allowed 18 pressures in four games, and his pressure rate allowed has increased every year.
Jedrick Wills pressure rate allowed, via TruMedia/PFF
2020 – 3.3%
2021 – 5.8%
2022 – 6.2%
2023 – 11.0%He's already allowed more pressures thru 4 games this year than he allowed in 15 games as a rookie.
— Ryan McCrystal (@Ryan_McCrystal) October 10, 2023
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There is a clear reason why there is such a disconnect between pass-block win rate and pressure rate allowed. The average time to throw from quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson’s 3.05 time to throw is the third-highest in the league, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Pass-block win rate is based on 2.5 seconds, Watson’s extra half-a-second plus makes this number pretty much irrelevant. But the reality is Wills’ issues as a blocker go beyond the win rate and pressures allowed.
Wills is an incredibly average left tackle, being capable of blocking lesser defenders, but is beaten routinely by others. Not helping matters is his lack of effort on a play-by-play basis. Far too often Wills is seen standing during the course of a play, which leads to very fair questions about his desire to actually be on the field.
What is becoming clear is that Wills’s days in Cleveland may be numbered. Unfortunately, the Browns’ front office unwisely chose to pick up his fifth-year option after last year. Wills will carry a dead cap hit of over $16 million next season, making it hard to find a suitable replacement with the money owed to a player who does not appear capable of playing at an acceptable level.