Washington Redskins Draft Countdown: Making the Case for Brandon Scherff
How about a change of pace from all the talk of the Washington Redskins selecting a top pass-rusher fifth overall in the 2015 NFL draft? Sure, this class is bursting at the seams with prospects expert at heating up quarterbacks, but what about the Redskins protecting their own men under center?
That not-so-small issue has been conveniently swept under the rug this offseason. An offensive line that surrendered 58 sacks in 2014 was surprisingly overlooked during free agency, but needn't be on draft day.
Not when Iowa tackle Brandon Scherff is the safest pick new Washington general manager Scot McCloughan could make.
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There's plenty to recommend bringing the winner of the Outland Trophy, the award given to the best collegiate O-lineman in the nation, to D.C. That's despite not many being enamored with the idea of drafting a blocker early on.
But the Redskins need only look at hated NFC East rival the Dallas Cowboys for the value of using prime draft picks on talented linemen. The Cowboys went from perennially average to 12-4, division champions and a playoff win last season.
A powerful front five was the foundation of their success. It was a group that already featured a pair of first-rounders, left tackle Tyron Smith and center Travis Frederick.
Yet it was the selection of Zack Martin that completed the picture. He was a first-year Pro Bowler and is also the player Scherff is most often compared with, per B/R Draft Analyst Matt Miller:
The comparison to Martin is a very apt one because both players operate with the same style. A closer look at some of Martin's rookie highlights not only emphasizes the value of drafting a top-notch lineman, it also reveals where Scherff will most immediately help Washington.
One of the primary benefits of Martin's presence was what it did for the Dallas ground game. This play from the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6 is a great example.
On 2nd-and-7, the Cowboys attacked Seattle's D with an old-fashioned power sweep. Martin was the key to sealing the edge as a pulling guard:
He quickly made his way around the corner and zeroed in on safety Kam Chancellor:
Once he got to him, Martin clamped on Chancellor and drove him out of the path of the play:
Like any capable lineman, Martin stayed on his block, giving running back DeMarco Murray a natural crease to exploit. The play resulted in an easy 10-yard gain against one of the toughest run fronts in football:
Here's a closer look at Martin maintaining his block and clearing a path for Murray:
Martin's qualities also extended to pass protection. He played a key role on a pivotal 3rd-and-5 conversion in the fourth quarter against the Seahawks.
Seattle showed the Cowboys their most dangerous pass-rushing set. It's a front four with end Michael Bennett slid inside to tackle with Cliff Avril aligned next to him in a wide-angled, speed-rusher's stance.
The pair intended to run a classic stunt with Bennett crashing outside while Avril slants inside:
At the snap, Martin made a quick move to press Bennett into traffic and pass him off to right tackle Doug Free:
Showing tremendous agility and smarts, Martin diagnosed the twist game between Bennett and Avril. He passed off his initial block and turned to intercept Avril's inside move:
Thanks to Martin's efforts, quarterback Tony Romo was kept clean and had a perfect pocket to set his feet and throw from. The result was a 16-yard completion to wide receiver Dez Bryant:
If you need justification for tabbing linemen early in a draft, consider these two plays. They were key moments in a game that saw the Cowboys go into Seattle and beat the Seahawks thanks to how their line pushed around perhaps the most formidable defense of its generation.
Washington's fans and quarterbacks know what the picture looks like when a team doesn't get line play like this.
It's significant that Martin made his instant impact in the pros at right guard after spending time as a left tackle at the collegiate level with Notre Dame. Scherff appears destined for the exact same switch.
Miller noted how he has "All-Pro potential at guard." Similarly, NFL Media draft pundit Mike Mayock (h/t NFL.com's Dan Parr) sees Scherff as perfect guard material.
Scherff's suitability for the inside is another reason why he's ideal for Washington. The Redskins would need him to shift to the interior and displace right guard Chris Chester.
Head coach Jay Gruden has talked up Chester and last year's third-round pick Spencer Long this offseason. The coach says he "feels good" about the right guard position, per ESPN's John Keim.
Yet Gruden's view is unlikely to be shared by anyone who watched how Chester's poor performances derailed every level of Washington's offense in 2014. Here are just two of many notable examples.
The first comes from the opening quarter of Week 14's 24-0 home loss to the St. Louis Rams. Chester was lined up over Rams rookie Aaron Donald:
As he so often is, Chester was quickly and too easily beaten at the snap. Donald was in the backfield at almost the same time running back Alfred Morris was taking the handoff:
Donald's presence meant Morris couldn't press the play back inside on one of his patented cutback moves. Instead, he was forced to go laterally toward the edge, where the Rams had numbers and strength:
Morris needed to avoid the edge, but Chester being shrugged aside by Donald meant he couldn't:
Thanks to the way the interior of the line, and its right side in general, collapsed, Morris was soon dropped by William Hayes for a one-yard loss. Notice how far Chester was left languishing behind the play:
With blocking like this, is it any wonder the Redskins tumbled to 19th in rushing offense in 2014? More power and tenacity is urgently needed inside.
But Chester is at least as much a liability in pass protection. That was obvious on a third-quarter sack against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9.
Chester was aligned against defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd:
He was instantly overpowered and rocked back on his heels. Chester was practically in quarterback Robert Griffin III's lap:
Griffin couldn't set his feet, survey both sides of the field or step into a throw because Chester was pushed so far back:
In fact, Griffin was forced to flee a pocket that had been instantly crushed from the inside:
The scrambling Griffin was soon chased down and hammered by defensive end Brian Robison:
Griffin desperately needs to improve his pocket presence, footwork and ability to scan the whole field. But it's tough to ask any quarterback to do that when he's instantly set upon by pass-rushers on a regular basis.
That's why tabbing the best offensive lineman in this draft class makes sense for Washington. Scherff can improve every level of the Redskins offense, a unit loaded at the skill positions but hamstrung by crumbling trenches.
Any even cursory look at some of his performances in 2014 helps make the case for Scherff landing in D.C. Consider the video below:
Granted this is very much promotional stuff (is the workout footage entirely necessary?), but these highlights do emphasize the core traits Scherff has that Washington needs.
First, notice the number of times he maintains blocks to the bitter end and violently slams hapless defenders into the turf, or simply shoves them off the field. This is a nasty blocker who plays angry. He'd bring the same mentality to a line that's been routinely bullied during the last few seasons.
Mayock noted the same thing:"I like the nasty. I think he can play inside. He's tough, aggressive, and he finishes."
Those qualities would certainly be welcome in the running game. Gruden is counting on new O-line coach Bill Callahan to produce a more "physical, downhill approach" on the ground, per Keim.
Gruden noted how the team tried to employ some of the "gap blocking plays" he favors last season. But the coach rued the lack of linemen suited to the scheme: "Part of that is because of the type of linemen we have. We have to adjust our running game to the style we want to be, but we have to make sure we have the linemen in the building to do what we want to do."
So Gruden might not be as enamored with the existing linemen as he claims. He has previously indicated an openness to finding new recruits, per Andrew Walker of the team's official site: "We would love to add pieces to the offensive line. It doesn’t have to come from free agent spending. Offensive linemen can come from the draft and young players via free agency.”
The more you examine Scherff's play, the more he fits the bill.
His blitz pickup at the 58-second mark of the highlight video showcases everything good about his game, namely his expertise and viciousness.
A closer look reveals yet more positives:
The drive block off the line on the 3rd-and-4 running play beginning at 1:11 is a thing of beauty. It shows why Scherff is perfect for Washington's power plans.
As he drives the defender to and over the sideline, it's easy to recall that NFL Films footage of former New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells telling O.J. Anderson "I coulda made 20 myself!" My sentiments exactly.
Scherff is even better at 1:55 when he explodes off the line to absorb a linebacker at the second level. He shows he's one of the "bigger guys who can move" that Keim says Gruden and Callahan's schemes need.
What they really need is a lineman as capable as Scherff.
But just to show that it's not all roses and wine, consider the sack Scherff surrenders at 2:09. He was too deep in his pass set and was beaten easily to the inside.
This play is exactly why this powerhouse is better suited at guard, as the commentator noted.
Yet just in case you're worried Scherff is only a factor on the ground, move to 3:15. It's a replay of a pass completion to convert on 4th-and-8.
Scherff displayed superb pass protection against a stunt. Facing the same type of twist game Martin shackled against the Seahawks, Scherff suavely passed off the inside rusher. Then he deftly slid out to absorb the edge-rusher.
This was a textbook example of sitting on stunt lanes. The play reveals how smart and technically skilled Scherff is.
Any and all of those attributes would be welcomed along Washington's offensive front in the new season. Thankfully, it's not as if McCloughan doesn't have a history of picking linemen early on.
In 2007, he used a first-round pick to snare dominating left tackle Joe Staley. That pick was the result of a trade, per ESPN's Field Yates.
McCloughan is also reportedly considering a trade in his first draft with the Redskins. Dealing back for extra picks and still getting Scherff would be close to a perfect draft day for Washington.
Those keen on a first-round pass-rusher to replace Brian Orakpo and bookend Ryan Kerrigan will no doubt disagree. But changes in Washington's defensive scheme may make a new edge-rusher less relevant than you think.
McCloughan recruited a pair of one-gap pass-rushers along the line in free agency, Ricky Jean Francois and Stephen Paea. The former has indicated coordinator Joe Barry wants to lean on a four-man rush, per CSN Washington's Tarik El-Bashir: "But at the same time, his one biggest thing is he wants his front four to get pressure."
Now consider a three-man line bookended by 3-technique pass-rushers Paea and Jason Hatcher, along with Kerrigan, he of 13.5 sacks in 2014. There's sufficient enough pressure potential from that quartet to allow the Redskins to trust Trent Murphy at the other outside linebacker spot.
Last season's second-round pick may not be an explosive rusher (yet), but he is very adept against the run and playing in space, the latter talent being vital in a scheme that wants to drop seven.
It's also not as is if the first round is the only place to find competent pass-rushers in this year's draft. The second-round bounty could boast Owamagbe Odighizuwa, Nate Orchard and Eli Harold.
Any member of that trio could rotate with Murphy and the raw but promising Jackson Jeffcoat on a situational basis. Then Washington would be free to find the marquee lineman this offense needs.
Up to now, the franchise has acted as if that's not a priority. Real Redskins blogger Rich Tandler even claimed coaches believe the incumbents are better than their numbers suggest:
"This is going to make people mad so I’ll get it out of the way right off the bat—the coaching staff does not believe that the offensive line is the five-alarm dumpster fire that most fans seem to believe it is. Yes, there were too many sacks but the blame for many of them was on the quarterbacks, particularly Robert Griffin III and Colt McCoy, and the tight ends and running backs. As far as running the ball, they averaged 4.2 yards per carry, which is the NFL average.
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But ask yourself, would you really feel confident about this season if the team enters it with the same five starters from 2014? No, me neither. Nor would CBS Sports' Rob Rang, who's maintained Scherff as an ideal fit in Washington.
Opting for a guard at the top of your first draft in charge is hardly the most glamorous way for McCloughan to herald a bright, new future. But he's spent the whole offseason shunning glamour moves.
A lineman can never be a reach at any stage for a team that needs as much help up front as the Redskins do. Not when he can improve both the running game and pass offense the way Scherff would.
Capable linemen are the necessary foundation of every rebuild. McCloughan knows that, having spent free agency fortifying the defensive trenches.
He should use the draft to fix an offensive front that's been a problem for years. The benefit to the whole team is too great to avoid Scherff.
All screen shots courtesy of Fox Sports and NFL.com Game Pass.
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