CLEVELAND — The man the Browns hope will anchor their offensive line for the next 10 years is now (officially) a member of the team.
Jedrick Wills Jr., the 10th overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, signed his rookie contract Tuesday evening. It will be for four years with an option for a fifth (as are all first-round deals) and will net the Alabama product more than $10 million guaranteed.
The 21-year-old Wills posted pictures of himself on Instagram inking his signature on the contract, telling fans, "Let's get active!"
A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Wills was a second-team All-American with the Crimson Tide and started at right tackle the past two seasons for a team that went a combined 25-3 during that stretch. The Browns plan to move him to left tackle, and while that could be an adjustment, it's worth noting that his college position allowed him to protect left-handed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's blind side.
Cleveland came into 2019 with high expectations but finished a disastrous 6-10, resulting in head coach Freddie Kitchens being shown the door after just one year. While there were several reasons for their failures, the offensive line unfortunately played a major role, as Baker Mayfield was sacked 40 times.
In an effort to right the ship, new general manager-head coach combination Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski spent the offseason fortifying the team up front, signing free agent right tackle Jack Conklin before drafting Wills and Washington's Nick Harris in April. Willis will be the key on the left side, which has been somewhat of a revolving door since future Hall of Famer Joe Thomas got hurt in 2017 and subsequently retired.
With pen now to paper, Wills is expected to report with the rest of the team to Berea when training camp begins later this month. However, just how camp and the NFL season in general will look is still up in the air, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to be unpredictable.