6 NFL rookies who will contribute the most in the 2020 season

3. Jedrick Wills, OT, Cleveland Browns

It’s difficult to forget the sour taste that the Cleveland Browns left in our mouths last year. Following the offseason trade additions of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and defensive end Olivier Vernon on the heels of quarterback Baker Mayfield’s fantastic rookie season, the Browns appeared to be in line for a big-time upswing. The end result was decidedly not that as two very important pieces were missing: coaching and offensive line play.

Freddie Kitchens was a disastrous hire for this team. He went away from everything that he and Cleveland had success with when he took over as offensive coordinator in 2018 and had zero control over the locker room. Exacerbating the issues was one of the worst tackle pairings in the league, which consistently allowed pressure on Mayfield, helping to lead to his regression.

The Browns brought in Kevin Stefanski to replace Kitchens, which should be positive. On the roster, though, the franchise also heavily addressed the problem at tackle, first signing Jack Conklin and then using the No. 10 overall pick on Jedrick Wills, the latter setting up to start at left tackle and protect Mayfield’s blindside.

Wills’ arrival in The Land will be monumentally important. Mayfield had his own issues separate from seeing constant pass-rush pressure but so much of that seemingly stemmed from his lack of trust in the protection. Wills and Conklin coming together could help the Browns to realize the hype a year later than when everyone jumped on the bandwagon.