Draft gurus say Browns will pick OT at No. 10

With coach Kevin Stefanski and the Browns on a mission to get Baker Mayfield back on track, they’re focusing this offseason on upgrading the offensive line responsible for protecting the quarterback.

The Browns will have a new starting left tackle because they had decided to let Greg Robinson walk in free agency next month even before federal authorities announced he was arrested this week in Texas for allegedly hauling about 157 pounds of marijuana.

The Browns will also likely have a new starting right tackle because Chris Hubbard left something to be desired last season.

So it’s obvious Stefanski, General Manager Andrew Berry and Co. will pay close attention to this year’s class of tackles at the NFL Scouting Combine, which runs today through March 2 in Indianapolis.

Draft analysts differ in their predictions about which tackle the Browns will select 10th overall April 23, but virtually all agree the pick, barring a trade down, will be used on a tackle.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said the Browns should draft a tackle at No. 10 — even if Clemson defensive star Isaiah Simmons were available.

“You’ve got to be able to evaluate your quarterback. To fairly do that, you’ve got to protect him,” Jeremiah said Friday during a conference call. “... If you look at the young quarterbacks that have been successful, for the most part, a lot of them have had good offensive line play around them, and that’s been a huge benefit in their growth. So I’d like to see them give Baker Mayfield that benefit.”

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. predicted Wednesday during a conference call the Browns won’t encounter the difficult decision of Simmons versus the top available tackle. Kiper said he believes Simmons, who can play safety or linebacker, will be picked as early as fourth overall and as late as ninth.

So if the draft sets up for the Browns to fill a glaring need at tackle, which ones are best suited for the outside zone blocking scheme Stefanski, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and offensive line coach Bill Callahan will install in Cleveland?

Lateral movement is essential.

“When you look at Jedrick Wills from Alabama, he can really move, and he’s really good working up to the second level, shows some of his athleticism there,” said Jeremiah, a former scout with the Browns, Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles. “He’s a natural knee bender. He’s good in pass protection. He doesn’t really get beat.

“I think he could plug right in. He played on the right side there. [Alabama had] a left-handed quarterback in Tua [Tagovailoa], so he was really protecting his blindside. I think he can play on either side. I think he’d be a wonderful fit [in the Browns’] scheme.”

Southern California tackle Austin Jackson isn’t as highly touted as Wills, but Jeremiah sees an ideal fit.

“I know there’s a lot of people that really like Josh Jones from Houston. I think Austin Jackson is going to go ahead of him. I think he’s a better player,” Jeremiah said. “As we go through the combine, I think he’s going to test really well, and I think you’re going to start hearing his name mentioned in that top 15.

“If you want somebody to fit that [new Cleveland] offense, I don’t know that anybody fits it better than him. He’s only 20 years old. He’s got great knee bend. He can really move laterally. He’s going to get better.

“He donated his bone marrow to his sister [last year], so he lost an offseason. Obviously, it speaks to what kind of brother he is and his character. But he lost that offseason. He just needs to get physically stronger, but as a 20-year-old, with that type of athletic ability, the upside is really endless, and I think he’s somebody that maybe people are sleeping on a little bit.

“I have a feeling once we come out of the combine, Austin Jackson would be a name the Cleveland Browns are keeping an eye on.”

In Jeremiah’s first mock draft of the year, he paired the Browns with Georgia tackle Andrew Thomas at No. 10. During the conference call, though, Jeremiah conceded, “I don’t know that he’s a great fit for [Stefanski’s outside zone] scheme.”

“He is powerful. He’s dominant in the run game. He can anchor in pass protection. He’s very aware,” Jeremiah added. “He’s just on the ground a little [too much], and that was a concern — some of the balance issues. I know some teams would like him to kick over to the right side.”

In Kiper’s second mock, he had the Browns picking Louisville tackle Mekhi Becton at No. 10.

Jeremiah graded Becton first among tackles, one spot ahead of Wills.

“Mekhi Becton ... is an absolute freak,” Jeremiah said. “... He is a left tackle. He’s a better version of Bryant McKinnie. He’s going to be that guy for the next 10, 12 years to protect your franchise quarterback.

“He’s so big and so long and so athletic, even when he’s not perfect, it doesn’t matter ’cause nobody can get through him. He’s 6-7, 370 pounds. You just don’t see guys like that come around very often.”

Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs is another tackle widely projected to become a top-10 pick. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler matched Wirfs with the Browns at No. 10 in his third mock.

“He’s ... got a chance to be an All-Pro guard,” Jeremiah said. “I know he’s played tackle, he’s played on the right, he’s played on the left and he’s a good tackle. I think he can play tackle in the NFL. I just think he’s got a chance to be an elite guard. He’s got some issues — oversetting. That can be cleaned up a little bit.

“But in terms of having something to gain, if he goes out there [at the combine] and puts on an athletic show, which I’ve heard there’s a chance he does, then he can kind of put that to bed and say, ‘Look, I am a tackle. I’m not sliding inside. That’s what I am.’”