Cleveland Browns Bill Callahan Calls Jed Wills Progress Positive – 247Sports

BEREA, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns are expecting big things from rookie Jedrick Wills. The Cleveland Browns used the 10th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to select Jedrick Wills to anchor the Cleveland Browns left tackle position.

However, left tackle is a tough position to just step in at the NFL level and play well, let alone dominate, as Joe Thomas did. Couple that, with the fact that the rookie from Alabama is set to open the season in less than two weeks against one of the best defenses in the NFL in the Baltimore Ravens.

After Sunday's practice at FirstEnergy Stadium, Wills was asked how he thinks he's progressing.

Wills feels he's making the transition to left tackle pretty well.

It is going well," Wills said. "The transition is hard for anybody in any position no matter the position, whether you are a skill player or not. Really just coming in, improve the things I need to work on in practice, and just get ready for the next two weeks.

I think I have made a lot of progress, especially like you said since the past few weeks," he said. "Moving along very quickly and just trying to get better.

Offensive line coach Bill Callahan said all rookies are behind.

I think rookies across the league are behind the curve," Callahan said. "I think what our goal has been is to bring him up to speed as fast as we can. We have really inundated him with techniques and walkthroughs. We have gone through several measures in the classroom showing him different players doing the techniques that we are asking of him. I think the progress has been positive, but you just do not know until you go up against live competition."

Callahan said going up against the Browns pair of Pro Bowl defensive ends has helped speed up his growth.

"Having the looks that we are getting in practice from No. 54 (Olivier Vernon) and No. 95 (Myles Garrett) certainly helps that," Callahan said. "He has obviously lost a share and he has won a share of his reps, but that experience of getting out against quality and premier pass rushers is invaluable. Every day, it is a learning experience for him, and we are trying to bring him up to speed as fast as we can.

Wills said the work against those two has helped him significantly.

It has been a great competition between me and Myles and also Olivier Vernon on the other side, which is who I see mostly," he said. "It definitely would have helped to get these things moving along way back in OTAs, if we would have had those with this COVID thing going on. It would have definitely helped, but we have to adjust now and just keep moving forward.

Wills admitted he has been a bit discouraged when Vernon, Garrett, or another pass rusher gets the best of him.

Of course because you come from a place in college where I just dominated everybody I went against," he said. "It was easy and it was a walk in the park, and now you are going against these guys who are Pro Bowlers and some of the best pass rushers in the league. It gets frustrating at times, but you just have to learn from your losses.

Callahan said part of his coaching is helping Wills from not getting discouraged.

I think for all the rookies in our league and especially on our team, they need to learn the cycle of the snap, and they need to get the mindset prior to the play in the pre-snap," he said. "Then of course when the snap is over, good bad or indifferent, they need to process that quickly and find out or learn what they did good, what they did bad and what they could do better, and then move on to the next play.

"That ability to change the mindset of the next play and going to the next play is critically important for a young player," he said. "Sometimes, they have the tendency to dwell because they want to do so well that it kind of feeds into that cycle of overthinking, paralysis and things of that nature. We have worked really hard at trying to get a mindset for Jedrick and all of our players of getting on and getting forward with the next play.

Wills said the different looks have helped him the most.

Really just seeing different things every day from the guys on the other side of the ball," Wills said. "Really mastering your technique and being ready for all the kinds of moves.

"Really, just trying to do what I need to do day in and day out to get to that stage of comfort because there are always things you can improve on.

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Cleveland Browns Bill Callahan Calls Jed Wills Progress Positive - 247Sports