CLEVELAND, Ohio — Joe Thomas told Browns new left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. that he could wear his No. 73, but coach Kevin Stefanski blocked it out of respect for the future first-ballot Hall of Famer.

“First of all, I think that’s very gracious of Joe to offer that number, but I just didn’t think that was the right thing to do for a bunch of different reasons, and I told Jed that," Stefanski said Tuesday on ESPN Cleveland radio. “The good news is I get to assign these numbers. So I made sure that he knew what numbers were available.”

Wills announced on Monday night that he’ll wear No. 71, and that he had considered No. 72.

“Starting my own legacy,’’ he said on Twitter on Instagram.

Stefanski wasn’t aware that he had settled on his digits.

"I don't even know,’’ he said. “I’m not sure. I know it's not 73."

He won’t wear Thomas’ number, but he’s eager to be mentored by him.

"There’s nothing that when you watch him on tape makes you go, 'Well, I don't know. He's going to have to get better at this,'" Thomas said on Cleveland Browns Daily. "Does this man move like an All-Pro in the NFL? Will the footwork skills, technique, quickness, balance, change of direction and recovery skills that he possesses in his body be able to hold up to the Von Millers and JJ Watts?

“I went back, and there was only one guy that stood out. He just popped off your screen. The technique he was using. The dominance. The finish. The change in direction. The explosion that he had. The way he could bend his ankles, knees and hips and create force and power. When guys tried to bull rush him, he was firm and stout.

“There was only one guy that looked like that, and that was Jedrick Wills.”

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