Ranking and grading every offensive linemen on the Cleveland Browns ahead of training camp

We’re grading the offensive linemen ahead of the Cleveland Browns camp.

By now you know the routine, we’re looking at the offensive linemen today, while quarterbacks, receivers, tight ends, and running backs have already been covered. This will complete the offense, and tomorrow we’ll begin on the defense.

We’re going to look at the offensive line individually by position first, then we’ll look at them in totality as a unit. So each player grade will represent how each player fits in the scheme and position. For instance, Blake Hance’s grade may not make people happy, but it’s important to remember he’s a guard, who played tackle last year. He’s not being judged on his abilities as a tackle, but for his talents as a guard.

Also, keep in mind, that we’re basing each player’s position based on listings online. So if ESPN or another outlet lists someone at a position, that’s the position we assume they’ll be going to camp for. That may not be where they start the season, but remember, this is a pre-camp evaluation only.

As there have been some questions surrounding how and what the grades mean in a single player vs. position sense, we’ve updated that to be a bit more transparent.

The below grades are intended for individual talent evaluations only. Letter grades are given “+” or “-” to determine exactly where they rank among others in that grade. For instance, an A- is a Pro Bowler, an “A” is your top-of-the-class, All-Pro type, while an “A+” is for your guys playing at a Hall of Fame level.

• INC – Given to expected practice squad players with little-to-no tape on them
• F –expected to be out of the league before the end of his rookie contract
• D – practice squad guy
• C – could get minutes as a backup
• B – starter
• A – among the league’s best

Positional grades are more optics related. In that regard here’s how that would break down;

• F – Position is a determinate to the team and talent is needed.
• D – Not a very talented group/too many unknowns.
• C – League average, can win with them but will also lose with them.
• B- A strength on the team.
• A – Among the league’s very best.

I want to stress these aren’t season-ending grades or evaluations. I expect some of these grades to go up, and to go down, depending on seasonal production. This is merely establishing a baseline for expectations.

Tackles

Elijah Nkansah, Ben Petrula (R), Alex Taylor

Considering there are six guards who could realistically make the team, we can safely say some of these cats are going to be on the practice squad, and Elijah Nkansah, Ben Petrula, and Alex Taylor are the likeliest of the names to end up there.

Grade: INC

James Hudson III

Due to the number of injuries, James Hudson, who was described as a project player, saw a lot of time. He played horribly in that given amount of time. I don’t think NFL teams need to be wasting draft picks on projects, let alone in the fourth round. That’s the only reason I don’t think he’s getting cut. If he wasn’t taken so high, I don’t think Hudson makes the team, simply based on his 2021 season. He very well could get better, but also he very well could get worse.

Grade: D-

Chris Hubbard

The normally reliable swiss army knife that is Chris Hubbard is coming in with a low grade for two reasons and they’re directly tied to one another; his injury history and age. Now, if he were 10 years younger, maybe last year’s injury isn’t a big deal. If he didn’t get hurt last year, maybe his age isn’t a big deal. Yet, in conjunction with one another? I have concerns about his viability. He’s 31, plays a demanding position, and is someone who could very easily regress. Or, he could fill in for a struggling player and go to the Pro Bowl. It all depends on how he bounces back from his injuries last year.

Grade: C-

Jedrick Wills

I’ve made no bones about it, The Browns picked the wrong guy in 2020. Jedrick Wills is playing for a second contract and it’s not out of the realm of possibility he gets one in the NFL, let alone from the Browns. Wills is on that cusp, and right now, I’d be willing to extend him a few years at the right price. Is he worth a dollar more than the “right price”? No, he is not. He’s got slow feet and is afraid to engage with pass blocking, allowing for a lot of guys to get around him. The team famously runs away from his side as well, as he isn’t the best at sealing the edge or getting got the second level. Practice can only help so much.

Grade: C+

Jack Conklin

Having a season-ending injury may have been the best thing for Jack Conklin, who was already playing with a host of other alignments. I think he’ll be back to form but I once considered him the best run-blocking tackle in the NFL and a guaranteed, multi-time, All-Pro player. Now? Time will tell.

Grade: A-

Guards

Dawson Deaton (R), Hjalte Froholdt, David Moore

While he was drafted, I don’t see a seventh-rounder like Dawson Deaton beating out the guys ahead of him. I think he gets cut early in the process and squirreled away on the practice squad for a season. Hjalte Froholdt and David Moore may be practice squad guys as well, or they may end up being the surprise of the offseason.

Grade: INC

Drew Forbes

I could see Drew Forbes being cut this year. He’s 25, hasn’t really done anything since getting drafted, there’s no real space for him to showcase what he can do, and there are younger options behind him. It’s a bit funny, if not for his injury, Forbes, and not Wyatt Teller, could be the guard everyone talks about.

Grade: D-

Michael Dunn

The story of Michael Dunn is a good one, but like with Forbes, he’s getting older and isn’t irreplaceable. If the Browns feel there are better options, or at least options with more potential, Dunn could and will be gone.

Grade: D+

Blake Hance

Unless Blake Hance completely loses everything that coaches saw in him over the last two years during camp, I expect him to make the team. He’s not a great tackle. He’s not quick enough to get to faster ends, but as a guard, he excels. He’s a potential starter at that position.

Grade:  C-

Joel Bitonio

I worry about Joel Bitonio’s age, coupled with his wear and tear. Everyone starts regressing at some point, and at Bitonio’s age, that point may be sooner rather than later. He’s a future Hall of Famer in my opinion but could use another Pro Bowl or two, and another All-Pro team to seal the deal.

Grade: A-

Wyatt Teller

Wyatt Teller is arguably the league’s best guard, but his pass blocking isn’t as strong as his run blocking. It’s still better than 95% of the league, but his run blocking is the best in the league. So comparatively, he’s lacking.

Grade: A

Centers

Brock Hoffman (R)

The Cleveland Browns will likely only carry two true centers, and find a way to keep Dawson Deaton as a multi-positional backup. Due to that, I don’t see Brock Hoffman making the team.

Grade: INC

Nick Harris

A lot of people are high on Nick Harris but I don’t see it. He’s bullied off the point of attack, he gets driven back on passing plays and he can’t move guys off the line on running plays. He’s got a great center of gravity and can get low in and out of his stance but once he finds someone stronger than him, his technique is shot. There’s potential, sure, but potential starts to be an albatross after too long. This is really it for him to prove he can be a starter. There’s no reason to hang onto a fourth-year center who can’t play the position he was drafted to play.

Grade: D

Ethan Pocic

I’m baffled that the Browns cut JC Tretter. I’m also baffled by how many people don’t get how good he was. The Browns hurt their offensive line and with the cap space they have, they had no reason to do that. Pocic was the centerpiece of one of Seattle’s worst offensive lines in over a decade, and his joining isn’t the big-time swing some want to will it to be.

Grade: C

Positional Grade and Evaluation

As a whole, the offensive line still has three of the very best players the league has to offer, but the unit isn’t going to be as good. They may catch a break if Deshaun Watson is healthy, as he can extend plays, but if he’s not, the offensive line will be far from where they were in 2021 or 2020.

The offensive line, more so than any other unit on a team, even the defensive line, has to work in harmony. If there is just one weak spot on the line, the unit is compromised. For the last two years, Jedrick Wills had held them back by being mediocre at best and lost at worst. He hasn’t improved, in fact, he declined in 2021.

He’s still a starter on this team and in this league, but considering the level everyone else was at, having four players who were top three, or top four at their position when healthy, and then you have Wills? Yeah, that’s a steep drop-off. Now, Tretter’s gone. Ethan Pocic and Nick Harris will battle it out for the starting job and regardless of who wins, the offensive line still won’t be as good.

You can’t just simply replace Tretter, not with two guys who haven’t caught on yet as starters in the NFL. The two weak points will hold this team back to a degree. Maybe Harris can finally take that next step but it’s been two years, and he has yet to. It’s more likely he never does. Pocic is in the same situation but at least there’s a bit more optimism because he’s playing for a coach in Bill Callahan who knows how to unlock the potential in a player.

It’s possible Pocic becomes a Pro Bowler playing for Callahan, it’s also likely he’s one-and-done, and the team drafts a center in 2023 with their first pick, whenever that is.

Wyatt Teller, Jack Conklin, and Joel Bitonio have to stay healthy, and hopefully, not regress, or this offensive line can go from a great asset to a disaster waiting to happen.

Positional Grade: B+