'I pray for everybody else': Browns LT Jedrick Wills Jr. tries to learn from Myles Garrett

BEREA — Jedrick Wills Jr. doesn't have to guess what it's like blocking one of the league's best pass rushers. The Browns left tackle does it just about every day in practice.

Wills is in his fourth training camp since the Browns made him the No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 draft. That's now four training camps for the big tackle out of the University of Alabama to have to line up and try to block All-Pro Myles Garrett.

That's four years' worth of training camp practices, not to mention three seasons' worth of regular-season practices, for Wills to see just about everything imaginable from Garrett. Yet, somehow, Wills is finding himself amazed by something else his teammate is able to do against him.

"There'll be certain positions where you think you have him in a block and he'll just completely move his body in a way that he should not be able to move," Wills said before Wednesday's practice. "You never get used to that."

Something Wills has gotten used to is Garrett getting the best of him. The Browns single-season sack leader has lived in his own offense's backfield throughout training camp, to the point where coach Kevin Stefanski called him a "pain in the butt for the offense."

More often than not, those reps have come at the expense of Wills, considering the fact Garrett lines up on the right side of the defensive line more often than not. That can make for a tough body blow to one's psyche when you're seemingly always on the wrong end of a one-on-one battle.

Wills, though, is trying to see the experience for what it's worth. It's the chance to challenge himself daily against one of the elites, even if you have to square that up with the more than occasional personal loss on a play.

"Yeah, but you have to look at the good things you do," Wills said. "There's always a reason why he'll win but, I mean, he's just good at what he does. But you just have to look at the things that I do well and what I can fix to put myself in a better position to block him.

"And especially when I do win, I mean, you got to look at the things that I do well and just look at what he does, too. So it's a mental game that you kind of got to play with yourself a little bit."

While it can be tough to take, there's also the reality that it's not just Wills who's suffering through such practice reps. It's been across the board with whomever is lined up opposite Garrett.

During Wednesday's practice, that unfortunate soul was rookie tackle Dawand Jones. While playing right tackle on a scout team offense, he found himself face up with Garrett, who had flipped sides to line up at left end.

On three consecutive plays, Jones was incapable of so much as slowing down Garrett on his path to the quarterback. It's part of the learning experience that Stefanski said is so valuable, especially for Wills.

"That's nothing new going against Myles for Jed," Stefanski said. "I think it's great work for him. We judge all the work that we get. It's not just the work that he gets versus Myles, but he's going up against an all-pro caliber player every day, which will only make him better."

Wills finds himself facing a big season as the Browns look to make a long-term decision on him. They picked up his fifth-year option in May, but that merely assuring the tackle he would be under contract with the team through 2024.

What would help Wills solidify that future would be a good season blocking the various pass rushers he's lined up against during the season. That's where he said having Garrett as a daily practice opponent pays dividends.

"It’s helped me a lot," Wills said. "When I go against other people, it's just crazy how much the game slows down. But going against him as a whole, that's a challenge. I pray for everybody else he has to go against."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jedrick Wills Jr. gets daily lessons from Browns All-Pro Myles Garrett