The consensus #1 OT in the draft, chosen in the top 10, is available with NO draft capital required...

STRENGTHS

—Has sweet feet at the right tackle position that showed up in his kick-slide, with quickness off the line of scrimmage and an ability to dominate at the second level.

—Smooth pass-protector who was asked to keep the blind side of left-handed quarterback clean.

—First movement is super explosive; easy movements with loose hips and a powerful base.

—Smart, savvy blocker who has a feel for where defenders are; will peel back off his block and look for someone to hit in the run game.

—Good agility to get outside on screen plays and can be a lead blocker.

—Plays with a mean streak and is a true finisher in the run game.

—So fast out of his stance that speed rushers can't beat him off the ball.

—Natural athlete who will excel in a zone or power-blocking scheme.

—Easy movement, agility and burst make us think he'll have no trouble playing left tackle.


WEAKNESSES

—Very patient but waits too long to shoot his arms and punch; stays in his slide too long.

—Plays a little high in the run game.

—Two-year starter who is still a little raw in his punch technique and timing.



OVERALL

Wills is the clear-cut OT1 in the 2020 draft class thanks to his toughness, agility and awareness coming out of Alabama. He has the tools to be an All-Pro-caliber performer at either tackle spot and could even be a world-class guard if needed on the inside. He's one of the cleanest offensive lineman prospects in some time and has room to continue improving once in the NFL.



GRADE: 94

PRO COMPARISON: Jason Peters/Dion Dawkins


We could look at this like, see you could trade into the top 10 and take the best OT in the draft and still not get your LTOTF.

We could also look at this like, how could a player widely considered the best OT to come out in awhile fall this far?

This is our chance to get THE Best LT in that draft, a guy we would never be able to trade up for, with very LITTLE risk.

I think Wills has to be in the equation. There is huge potential for a home run with this guy.

Unless we are able to sign Stanley or Jackson (Unlikely), then I think we have to take a chance with Wills.

If Humphries is brought back or even if they sign Robinson, get Wills in here to compete with them and Kingsley.

Cleveland has a history of letting good even great O lineman out of the building.

Wills is a broke dick quitter… no thanks.

Link: https://brownswire.usatoday.com/list...-agency-no-go/

It is possible that he was so done with Cleveland, a month from hitting free agency that he decided to not make a minor injury into a major one right before his chance for a new start.

Reading his draft report, he is the guy we are all pining for. Knowing we cant trade up that far to get.

Here is our chance to get the top OT in his draft class for zero draft picks.

How or why would we not take that chance? Maybe he never becomes our LT but plays RT or even Guard. Thats a win. OR he DOES become our LT and its a HUGE WIN!

The most reliable way to keep being in a dynasty is to SOLVE this stupid position once and for all. Well... at least until Mahomes retires.

I think Mahomes can survive another year of veteran stop gaps. Maybe two more. I don't know about doing this to him perpetually all because we're in the middle of a dynasty and we're too afraid to draft, develop, and eventually start our own LT.

It has to be done some time, man. Do you want broke dicks like DJ Humphries the rest of this dynasty?

We're in a tough spot.

Early picks have treated us so well lately:

Mcduffie, Karlaftis, Rice, Worthy, Bolton, Humphrey.

Do you take off a year and trade multiple picks for the second best LT prospect in the draft?

Tough call.

Do we have a competent LT on this roster????

The fact that they have already moved him to guard seems like a bad sign. I don’t think they make that move if they think he still has a shot at being the LTOTF.

Would Donovan Smith have done a better job than Thuney in the Super Bowl (plus allowing Thuney to slide back to LG)?

Ugh...

It's possible one guy could be a competent LT some day. Could even happen this season. Or he might need more time than that. And yes, there's also possibility that he'll never be a good NFL LT.

If he's got the frame and the talent and even the bloodlines/support, I think taking that raw player with a year of experience is better than pissing away draft picks in a bad year for LTs.

Our options are to blow our wad trading for a good LT on a tanking team, overpaying for Cam Robinson, or doing the Humphries/other vet thing and hope Kingsley or another guy we draft will one day take the job.

Yeah, I can't say I give too much of a **** knowing the Browns are horrendously inept at managing player injury. Both Mayfield and Watson played through pretty significant injuries that they really ought not to have.

This is a particularly bad OT draft, so ignoring that because you WANT an OT is a bad idea.

On the off chance Ronnie Stanley becomes available, free agency in general is gonna be tough. With cap inflation we have some teams with an absurd amount of cash to spend. And are in desperate desperate need of a LT and some of them like Chicago, Washington and New England have young QBs they want to build around. If the draft class is as weak as they say then they’re going to hit this hard.

Full transparency I only casually follow college football. Is josh Simmons not worth a look? An OT whose draft stock plummeted because of an injury seems like something a bottom of the draft team could consider. Is it because we just don’t think he’s going to drop that far? There seem to be mock drafts that think he’ll fall because of small sample size and injury.

The other consideration is that failed LTs often become quality linemen elsewhere. If we fail at LT but he becomes even an adequate RT or OG, it’s not a total waste. Something to keep in mind if we think the guy needs to be a stud… or else.

But his stock doesn’t appear to have plummeted, at least not right now.

Got it. I saw mixed feelings on mock drafts with some thinking he’d fall into the 20s. I know those are super unreliable so was just curious…

i think you get a pass when you play for the browns

The Browns are a factory of sadness. KC's culture is far different. It's also why Garrett went from wanting to stay in Cleveland his whole career to wanting out.

No, no more vet half measures and stop gaps, Veach gets paid way too much money not to be able to figure this out this offseason. Chiefs owners pay for genius/high IQ moves and Veach must deliver.

It's absolutely hilarious how clueless most of you are when it comes to this shit. Just because you want a long term solution this offseason doesn't mean there is one.

I imagine all the guys who want us to trade it all away for somebody in this year’s draft will also bitch and moan if/when he struggles his first year

If they will hang on to Skyy Moore for 4 years, Kingsley isn't going anywhere.

I saw Belichick talk about Thuney after the super bowl and he mentioned that he hadn't played LT since high school...I think Donovan Smith would have done a little bit better but not sure it would have been enough to overcome the Philly D line.

These were desperate/reactionary decisions the Chiefs made regarding the LT position, it should have been handled last offseason. Why they thought Kingsley was the answer at one time should sound alarms. Not bringing pass protection to the Superbowl has cost two Superbowls now, a steep price to pay. Mahomes can win with the crappiest WR squad in the NFL (like last year) but not with glaring flaws at OL.

We're in the fifth year post Fisher and Veach still hasn't been able to find a long term solution at LT. It's fair to criticize him and also acknowledge it's not totally his fault.

Garrett didn’t refuse to go back into game like this guy did.

No different than what Campbell did with the 49ers.

LMAO What? He reinjured his knee and they wanted him to play through it. Rightfully told them to **** off.

Again, look at what they've done to both Mayfield and Watson. Pressured Mayfield to play a ****ed up shoulder, he proceeds to have the worst season of his career, and they forced him out of the organization. Watson was constantly playing injured until his Achilles just blew. That is a very stupid organization.

“Business decision” to bench himself… totally a normal occurrence. LMAO

JFC, we get it… people are desperate for a LT… but get a grip.

How is it different than what Campbell did with the 49ers?

Who the **** ever said plug and play him as a starter day one? That's ****ing reeruned. But to just completely disregard what may be a salvageable talent because the Browns are ****ing stupid is also reeruned. Bring him into the food and see what, if anything, he can offer the team,.

LMAO Are you serious? Campbell refused to go in because he was petulant about losing playing time. Wills refuse to go in because he tweaked an existing knee injury.

Every stone should be turned over. Every single one.

Another broke dick reclamation project.

Sounds like a quitting version of DJ Humphries… pass.

Wills has played a full season once in his five year career… including only 13 games combined the past two seasons.

The fetish people here have for shit players… LMAO

If you're not going to evaluate "shit" players, you're unlikely to actually find a solution. The Chiefs are in the unenviable position of trying to find a LT while never having a top 10 pick. It is what it is. They should be trying literally everything to fix the problem, no matter how far fetched, as long as it's cheap.

Why does the solution at LT have to be cheap?

Because they are paying top AAV at RT?

If you going to keep trying to address the LT position on the cheap… then expect the same results.

Precisely, because we always draft last or next to last, the Chiefs need to be real good at finding diamonds in the rough and turning over every stone. What they CANNOT do is draft a tackle w/ the second round pick and go into next season thinking "we're good"

The pieces have to be cheap. Because they're going to have try a lot of pieces. There isn't a magic bullet here. It's all about volume at this point.

LMAO Yes, because 4 significant knee injuries and a back injury is totally equivalent to missing game time due to COVID.

No way. Got a link to said story?

If true, Veach needs to get on that ASAP. Back up the brinks truck and say how much do you need sir.

They aren’t going cheap at RT, center and LG… the opposite actually… yet they have to continue to be cheap at arguably the most important position that protects Mahomes’ blind side?

Interesting.

He didn’t have COVID the past two seasons when he only played in 13 total games.

LMAO

They don't have the money to address LT once and for all BECAUSE of those existing contracts.

If you're waiting for them to back up a truck full of money for Stanley or Jackson, prepare to be disappointed.

I never understood it.

Prepare for a repeat of this season… that’s the reality if they keep trying the same strategy of filling the LT position on the cheap.

Definition of insanity… keep trying a failed strategy.

And the fact that Jawaan Taylor’s contract is hindering their flexibility to invest more in LT just adds insult to injury considering how much of an epic fail he has been at RT.

Looking at Ronnie Stanley’s injury history…man that is bad.

2020-6 games, IR ankle injury
2021-1 game, IR ankle injury
2022-missed first month due to injury
2023-13 games, knee injury

He’s missed games every year. Huge risk

He played all this year for the first time since

Stanley's injury history is how we ended up with OBJ in the first place. His problems arent even new. Everybody knows about them.

That's exactly what I'm prepared for. I don't have any expectations at this point because chances are, Veach is going to do something none of us expect.

The only LT who might realistically be available who has no injury risk is Jake Matthews.

He just turned 33 so age would be a slight concern, but he hasn’t missed a start in 11 years.

Yes. Right. Because the Browns are ****ing idiots and have exacerbated a knee injury from 2023. That's the point.

We could always ask Mahomes to become a lefty…

Yeah, I know Dad. :)

We can still dream.:rolleyes:

The sooner you understand the fact that reality is cold, harsh, and unyielding, the better son.

LMAO

A little disappointing? Overpaid? Sure, but "epic fail"? :facepalm:

Outside of last week, he's been absolutely fantastic in the playoffs, and he helped win a ring last year. He's hardly an "epic fail", but you're an emotional reerun.

Stop dude. This is fantasy. They have their own first year starting QB taking over next year. They’re not gonna trade a good Tackle and not support him.

That's probably our best hope.

It would be a salary cap move. They are probably drafting their LT ahead of us this year. They are just in a better spot to do so.

I really think Kingsley starts at LT next season. He has the physical characteristics, which is no given for so many prospects. Reid thought so much of him that he (wrongly) started him in his first game as a rookie.

Reid sees something there, he has all the physical tools, and now has a season of learning under his belt. Even highly drafted left tackles often take a year or more to grow into the job. Importantly, Suamataia is on a rookie contract -- the team NEEDS this to work out and I think he will be given every opportunity to get the job. If it works out, it's a home run and allows the team to spend its resources elsewhere. Unless Andy becomes convinced that Kingsley hasn't grown at all I expect him to be out there day one.

Interesting that after Cleveland benched Wills for his “business decision”, his knee suddenly healed and he claimed that he was well enough to play, as he complained about losing his starting job.

Also interesting that none of his team mates came to his defense for his “business decision”.

Very interesting.

Sure, but your critique essentially comes down to "Veach hasn't pulled a franchise LT out of his ass".

A starting QB who is left handed which makes the LT position less important since it’s not protecting the QB’s blind side.

On a team with significant salary cap issues.

Those are the type of potential trade opportunities where a quality LT can be found… not just relying on a weak free agency group/draft class.

I don't really know what to think about this season.

On one hand we went 15-2. On the other hand it was all one score games and then we got blown out in the SB and didn't look like we were in the same stratosphere as the Eagles.

Confusing indeed.

The reality is we probably aren't as good as 15-1 and aren't near as bad as we looked in the SB.

LMAO Dad, with the straight talk.

They’re gonna either have to overpay a guy like Stanley and hope he stays healthy or you keep value patching it until you can develop or draft a guy.

Thems the breaks when you win 15 games a year and go to the Super Bowl

I say we fix it now and pay Stanley and dominate, and have Humphries as tactical depth. Fixing LT in FA also frees up the draft a bit to go after other needs like RB, TE

I wouldn’t hate it

Are the people freaking out, holding their breath, and demanding a fix now because they WANTS it going to spend the whole offseason doing this?

The Chiefs are going to work to address the LT issue.

The last time they needed to do this, they tried to make the best FA available the new highest paid LT in football history, then pivoted and spend huge at LG and traded a 1st for a young good player they tried to give a huge deal to, and when he foolishly walked on that, they pivoted and paid the top remaining FA tackle big money.

The point is, they’re going to attack the positions of the roster that need to be attacked.

But they also aren’t going to do something crazy and reckless.

I think there’s some merit to the idea of bringing in Humphries and Jedrick Wills if they can, and throwing numbers at the positions, if they can’t trade for or pay an easy button answer.

Paying Taylor 20 million AAV on the premise that he could play either side just to leave him at RT and sign a broken down Smith to bandaid LT isn't putting your best foot forward. Leaving the room as Suamataia and Morris isn't either, especially since the Chiefs weren't ready and willing to help mitigate the struggles Suamataia would inevitably have and instead left him out on an island to die.

We are not drafting a tackle in this draft. We already have 2 LT's that we used high draft picks on to develop.

We cant just keep using high round picks on LT's and hope one develops. Those picks in the first 3 rounds are needed desperately in other positions other than LT.

You think we can afford two vet tackles at one position?

A late 2nd and late third are hardly "high" picks. basically a 3 and a 4. Brett Veach flushes turds more valuable than the Wanya pick.

May be unfounded, but I'm pretty concerned they've permanently tanked Suamataias confidence. Same thing happened to Moore. I doubt he'd have been anything more than a 4th/5th option in the offense but maybe he wouldn't have devolved into a completely useless sack of shit if he wasn't thrown out to fail on punt returns.

Without Jawaan Taylor you'd probably have a hole at both T spots, so I don't see how this changes my point at all. He also helped bring us a SB that you otherwise might not have had with 2 holes at both T spots last year.

There's a reason the best you can come up with it "they should've traded up for Slater!", but keep pretending there isn't.

I don't know what the market appetite is for Humphries as he hasn't played much football last two seasons, his appearances this past season were definitely below average/not good, and then is an injury risk. I would think he would be cheap and then maybe if he trends up we could move him to RT for struggles Taylor

I have no problem with signing Taylor. I kind of do with leaving him at RT. He should've been moved to LT from the start, unless they were just bullshitting to justify the contract that they believed he could play either side.

I think it was less justification and more posturing so they could approach the rest of FA and the draft with a less glaring and obvious need at LT.

Front offices lie sometimes with things they say publicly. For negotiating reasons.

a 3rd and a low 2nd are not high draft picks, and Morris never was a LT even if he did play there a couple of times out of necessity. It’s already been discussed on here how little we’ve invested the past decade or so on offensive tackles in the draft.

A prospect is just THAT. A prospect.

If we're talking about trading draft capital and players for a sure thing at LT, it's needs to be an established veteran!

Target Laremy Tunsil, Tristan Wirfs, Chargers have Slater (and a ready made replacement in Alt) but I doubt they would wanna deal with us.

If you're gonna 'pay the price' that hurts, do it for someone who has already been successful at a high level in the NFL.

I just don't know there is a match out there to get it done. There's a reason franchise LT's hardly ever become available.

At this point, I'd hope a full off-season of conditioning and getting ready in our offense might allow Humphries to regain Pro Bowl form or at least be a top half of the league LT like he was a couple years back. That's probably our best bet and most realistic option at this point.

So Cam Robinson with the Jaguars was a different player than with the Vikings. His pass blocking grade was noticeably higher with the Jags. He was reliable there.

I think Sam Darnold had a lot to do with Robinson adjusting, as well as being in a new system so quickly.

He appears to be the best option IMO. And I think Veach is going to get him.

I think a vet stopgap that could be had cheap is Terron Armstead. Had a great year actually and Miami could be looking to send out vet contracts atm with young guys waiting to take over. Armstead isn't the future but would be a hell of a lot better than what we have.

Who knows, if Tyreek does something stupid and says he wants to go back to KC and scares all other teams away we could get both for pennies on the dollar.

You need to have a quick re-evaluation point of today's NFL. Agents and the NFLPA point blank tells players to not let teams take advantage of them. There is a long laundry list of players that have played through things they shouldn't have, shortened their careers etc...and if you think the team is gonna "take care of you" they aren't.

The player is a commodity that will be replaced as soon as it isn't what the team wants, I don't blame players for looking out for themselves in injury scenarios.