Despite their intentions to try, The Browns won’t draft the next Joe Thomas

The Cleveland Browns are constantly being linked to tackles in the draft so that they can “replace” Joe Thomas; but that’s just it, you can’t replace him.

It doesn’t matter if it’s Tristan Wirfs, Andrew Thomas, Ezra Cleveland or someone else; it doesn’t matter who the Cleveland Browns draft. They can’t replace Joe Thomas. This isn’t some long-winded way of saying the Browns are going to take a bust at the tenth pick, or wherever they end up trading to. No, this is more of an expectations tamper. Thomas is the greatest offensive linemen in the history of the game of football. There is no way to replace him, so stop the Browns are going to try to.

I don’t say that to the Browns, but my fellow media members on various other mock draft websites. You can’t just replace the greatest player to ever play his position. That’s absurd. It’s like trying to replace Greg Maddux, Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky. Even if you get a great player after them, you’re still not going to get the same type of production. Usually.

Thomas is the same kind of player as those listed above, albeit at a less respected position. There are a lot of tackles in this draft that have gotten high grades, but that’s the case for every draft. There is no clear sign who the best tackle is (Ezra Cleveland), nor is there any indication who the Browns might take (Cleveland), nor is there any bias from the writers on this very website as to who they want the Browns to take (Cleveland). We’re not pitching for anyone. ….Cleveland.

Ok, maybe I am, but that’s not the point. Thomas is the greatest living tackle ever. There is not anyone in this draft that has that label. Sure, there stands to reason that someone in this class, or next years, or the year after, could go to more Pro Bowls, play more consecutive snaps and be better than Thomas was. That is a possibility. It’s just not likely.

Even when you think you’ve done it, transitioning perfectly, it doesn’t work. Look at Peyton Manning on the Colts. He suffers neck issues, the team lets him go, they draft Andrew Luck and boom, instant successor. Except Manning won two SuperBowls, broke records, and earned gobs of MVPs. Luck was out of the NFL due to injuries by 30.

Even when you think you’ve replaced greatness, you never really know.

So this is just to remind fans everywhere to not compare whoever the Browns take to Joe Thomas. The Browns can’t, and it’s unfair of anyone to expect them to. The hope is you can find a guy who can play the position for a decade at least and get to a few Pro Bowls while he’s there. That’s the measure of success that the team should hope to find; a Pro Bowler not a Hall of Famer.

Sure, we’d all like to have whoever the Browns take to fill the left tackle spot end up in Canton, but let’s all get the rookie comfortable standing against Myles Garrett in practice before we start measuring him for his gold jacket.