2020 NFL Draft profile: How Jedrick Wills, Andrew Thomas fit 49ers

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Editor's note: NBC Sports Bay Area will preview the NFL Draft with a look at the 49ers’ top needs, profiles of prospects that might fit their needs, along with some hidden gems. In this installment, we profile offensive lineman Jedrick Wills from Alabama and Georgia’s Andrew Thomas. 

The 2020 NFL Draft class of offensive linemen might be the best crop the NFL has seen in years, but it has been overshadowed by the flashiness of the wide receiver prospects. 

The 49ers remain confident that six-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Staley will return, but in the case he does retire earlier than expected, the club has a wealth of options in the draft. Alabama tackle Jedrick Wills is one of those candidates. 

Wills has been a force at right tackle during his days with the Crimson Tide, a spot that 49ers Mike McGlinchey successfully has held down for two seasons. It would be a process to move Wills to the left side but he has the athleticism to be able to succeed. 

While Wills falls slightly below the average height and weight for an NFL tackle, he has proven his nastiness in run blocking. According to Pro Football Focus, Wills only allowed a pressure rate of four percent or less for the second straight year in pass protection. His run-blocking grade of 90.1 ranked sixth among FBS tackles last season.

Georgia tackle Andrew Thomas rounds out the group of top tackles in the 2020 class. Unlike Wills, Thomas has been on both the left and right sides of the offensive line during his time at Georgia. He is a well-balanced run blocker while being solid in pass protection. 

Private offensive line evaluator and coach Duke Manyweather ranks Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs and Louisville tackle Mekhi Becton above both Wills and Thomas, but just slightly. He believes that all four of the top tackles will serve their future NFL teams effectively for seasons to come. 

“You know what you’re going to get with them,” Manyweather told NBC Sports Bay Area. “I don’t think you’re not going to get anything past that, but that’s not a bad thing because the league needs those types of guys to be mainstay guys that are solid and good and that can be at that Pro Bowl type level.”

[RELATED: 49ers' top five biggest high draft busts in last 20 years]

The 49ers likely will have a chance at the No. 13 overall pick to secure one of the top tackles in the draft, while ensuring their future for the long haul. 

NFL draft profile: Jedrick Wills

Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 312 pounds
College: Alabama 

Career stats: 29 career starts, Second-Team All-American, First-Team All-SEC honors in final season 

Combine measurables
40-yard dash: 5.05 seconds
Vertical jump: 34.5 inches 
Broad jump: 113 inches 
20-yard shuttle: 4.84 seconds

What experts are saying
Josh Norris, NBC Sports: "Wills immediately steps up on the right side and improves the quality of the line." 
Daniel Jeremiah, NFL Media: "Jedrick Wills, I believe, is the mix to be the first lineman off the board. I have Mekhi Becton, but he's right behind him. He ran just over 5.0 in the 40. You see some of that explosiveness in the vertical that shows up when you watch him on tape."
Lance Zierlein, NFL Media: “Wills is one of the most impressive tackles in the draft; he has basketball-caliber foot quickness and the quick hands of a boxer, and all of it is wrapped in a stout, powerful package of bad intentions. His game is tailor-made for the NFL, and his range of success is good starter to All-Pro.”

Draft projection: First round (top 15)

NFL draft profile: Andrew Thomas 

Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 315 pounds
College: Georgia 

Career stats: Started 13 games at left tackle and was awarded First-Team Associated Press All-American and First-Team All-SEC accolades in 2019

Combine measurables
40-yard dash: 5.22 seconds
Vertical jump: 30.5 inches
Bench press: 21 reps  
Broad jump: 109 inches 
20-yard shuttle: 4.66 seconds
Three-cone drill: 7.58 seconds 

What experts are saying
Daniel Jeremiah, NFL Media: "He is quick and powerful. A dominate run blocker. Just uproots people in the run game. Pass protection and the balance was the only concern there. He's going to be a starting left tackle in the NFL I believe in Year 1. He's my 21st overall player right now.
Josh Norris, NBC Sports: "I loved watching Thomas - fluid yet aggressive. He’s nasty."
Lance Zierlein, NFL Media: He's a Day 1 starter who comes in well-coached and technically savvy, but occasional leaning, lunging and inconsistent knee bend in pass pro could be isolated and attacked by pass-rush wolves looking to feast if he doesn't get those areas cleaned up.
Greg Cosell, NFL Films: “Thomas was execution efficient as both a run blocker and in pass protection, and he consistently played with poise and composure and competitiveness in both areas. Thomas played in a predominant zone scheme in 2019, but he has experience in gap schemes, as well.  

Draft projection: First round (top 15)

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