Assessing Redskins first-round options: Alabama OT Jedrick Wills
By Ian Cummings
How Jedrick Wills fits the Redskins
This is where it gets complicated. The only scenario in which we discuss this is if Trent Williams leaves the Redskins for good. His fate on that front likely won’t be known until March, or later this month, at the very least.
That said, if the Redskins do move on from Williams, then the debate over Wills’ fit is relevant. He’s not the only young, potential blue-chip offensive tackle on the board at No. 2, but he might be the strongest, and he’s clearly on the rise from a pure developmental perspective.
Wills has traits that bode well for him, but the most important thing for the Redskins is whether or not he can fill the void left by Trent Williams at left tackle. Some think he can, and some think he can’t. It’s worth noting that he was a blindside blocker at Alabama, as Tua Tagovailoa is left-handed, but in the NFL, if Wills is to switch to the left side, all of that will be flipped.
Some of Wills’ qualities translate to either side, notably his technical movement skills, his strength, his aggressiveness, and his length. But there’s more to a switch than that, and Wills will (pun not intended) have to undergo some tweaks in his stance and such.
Redskins Capital Connection writer and offensive line expert Robbie Duncan, whom we had on a podcast episode last offseason, shared his thoughts about Wills’ translatability on Twitter. He was similarly skeptical, but acknowledged the lineman’s all-encompassing strengths:
He's automatic as a pass protector. Don't think I ever saw him lose a rep. Tough run blocker. Explosive but limited as an athlete. He's been playing RT so long though, it'd be hard to ask him to convert to LT in the pros. Best bet would be to leave him there at RT.
— Robbie Duncan (@RobbieDuncanOL) February 10, 2020