Cleveland Browns 7-round 2020 NFL mock draft: Filling the gaps
878. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Tristan Wirfs. 1. player. OT. Iowa
Alabama’s Jedrick Wills Jr., Georgia’s Andrew Thomas and Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs are the clear top three offensive tackle prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft class. Each player is worthy of being a top 10 selection and with their obvious need at the position, the Cleveland Browns will undoubtedly have all three on their radar.
If any of these three offensive tackles are on the board when Cleveland goes on the clock at No. 10 overall, the choice is obvious. In this mock draft, Wills and Thomas are gone, but Wirfs is available, making this an easy decision.
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Wirfs is a big and powerful offensive lineman who has been the starting right tackle at Iowa for the last two and a half seasons. He is an absolute mauler in the run game who fires off of the ball quickly and typically manhandles the opponent lined up across from him. Wirfs shows great pad level and strong hands. He will pop the defender with a fantastic initial punch and also shows tremendous grip strength throughout the block.
Wirfs is not the smoothest mover in space, but he does show obvious athletic upside. He shined in Iowa’s zone-blocking system, showing the ability to consistently get to the second level and manhandle linebackers and defensive backs when he gets to his mark. With Stefanski likely to bring his zone-blocking system with him to Cleveland, Wirfs feels like an ideal fit for the Browns here.
While he is not quite as dominant in pass protection as he is as a run blocker, there is still plenty to like about that part of his game. Wirfs is a disciplined pass protector who consistently establishes half-man relationships and anchors at an extremely high level. He moves his feet well and can hold his own against speed on the edge. If he is beaten off of the snap, Wirfs does a great job of recovering and keeping his rusher away from the quarterback.
Simply put, the Cleveland Browns could draft Wirfs and immediately start him at the right tackle position. He did play a bit of left tackle in 2019 and did so at a high level. If they would rather groom him to play on the left side, I do not think Wirfs would have any issues making that full-time transition.