Historic Offensive Tackle Class Performs Better Than Anticipated
Coming into this draft class, there were four offensive tackle prospects that stood out as being truly special with others that would go much higher if not for the presence of those four, which include Andrew Thomas of Georgia, Tristan Wirfs of Iowa, Jedrick Wills of Alabama and Mekhi Becton of Louisville. For the Cleveland Browns who pick 10th and need two tackles, it showed excellent foresight by the previous administration under John Dorsey to get to this class to make a big splash at that position, even if the road to get here was a bumpy one.
Mekhi Becton set the tone for the day with a 5.1 40 yard dash at over 350 pounds. That was the only on field testing he did, save for position drills, but it had people talking about him as a potential top five pick. Despite what is a historic feat on the part of Becton, there were players that had more impressive days, doing the full battery of testing and putting up incredible numbers across the board.
Tristan Wirfs had the most impressive day, starting off with a 4.85 40 at 320 pounds. He followed that up with records at the vertical and broad jumps with marks of 36.5" and 10'1" respectively To put that in perspective, Wirfs jumps were better than DeAndre Swift, who could be the top running back in the class and Jerry Jeudy, who is a likely first round receiver. His agility numbers. a 7.65 3-cone and a 4.68 shuttle were excellent and eliminated any lingering questions about his ability to play tackle. His athletic profile bears remarkable similarities to Trent Williams when he was coming out of Oklahoma.
Boise State tackle Ezra Cleveland put together an outstanding in his own right, even if he was playing for second. At 6'6" 311 pounds, Cleveland ran a 4.93 40, a 9'3" broad jump and a 30" vertical. Those numbers are all outstanding and they are outdone by his agility testing. A 7.26 3-cone and a 4.46 shuttle speak to remarkable quickness. That's a better 3-cone than wide receiver Jaelen Reagor out of TCU and matches his shuttle time.
Andrew Thomas's numbers aren't quite as gaudy as Cleveland or Wirfs, but he had an excellent day and furthered his argument that he's a top ten pick. At 315 pounds, Thomas ran a 5.22 40, a 30.5" vertical, a 9'1" broad jump, which are all point to excellent explosion. He also had a 7.58 3-cone and a 4.66 shuttle. Thomas offers a ton of ballast for the position, being such a wide body compared to someone like Ezra Cleveland, who looks more like a supremely strong power forward. Thomas's broad build and his athletic numbers help explain why it's so difficult for opponents to get around him.
Jedrick Wills didn't do the whole workout, but of what he did, largely the explosion tests, he impressed. Given what he's known for at Alabama, which is being a power house of a blocker, this doesn't come as a surprise. Wills ran a 5.05 40 at 312 pounds, a 34.5" vertical and a 9'5" broad jump. He did the shuttle at 4.84 which isn't great, but it's not a deal breaker given his explosive ability.
Austin Jackson of USC was expected to test well, banking on some potential to help his argument to be drafted in the first round and for the most part, he did that. At 322 pounds, he ran a 5.07 40 and had jumps of 31" vertical and 9'7" in the broad, which fit with the rest of the group, who put up freaky numbers. His 7.95 3-cone isn't ideal, but his explosion helps make up for it.
It's a similar situation for Matt Peart of Connecticut. At a towering 6'7" 318 pounds, Peart ran 5.06 in the 40, had jumps of 30" and a broad jump of 9'5", all of which are excellent just like with Jackson. An 8.01 3-cone and 4.92 shuttle raise some questions about his flexibility, which is also a question on his tape, as well as his short area quickness. The fact he has 37" arms helps in terms of avoiding players getting around him, but his ability to sink his hips and generate power from his lower body is the biggest question with Peart.
Josh Jones out of Houston is somewhat of a forgotten man for a few reasons. He didn't do many tests and he didn't put up insane numbers. His numbers were human. A 5.27 40, a 28.5" vertical and a 9'1" broad jump are all great results, especially at 319 pounds. Buzz doesn't change the fact that Jones has been an excellent tackle and had good numbers.
This doesn't include players like Jack Driscoll of Auburn, who has a nice athletic profile in the works or Saadiq Charles of LSU, who only did the 40, but ran a 5.05 at 322 pounds. It's an incredible class of tackles and the Browns should draft no less than two of them.
One player that's worth taking a look at given the testing results he had at the combine is Danny Pinter from Ball State. He's 6'4 1/4" tall which isn't ideal for a tackle, his athleticism could make up for it. Pinter ran a 4.91 40 at 306 pounds. His jumps, a 29.5" vertical and 9'2" broad jump are good. His 7.76 3-cone and 4.62 shuttle are more than adequate. With so many offensive tackles flying to the top of the draft, a player like Pinter could potentially represent a developmental prospect that goes later in the class, provides some value and upside.
