Brandon Scherff to Washington Redskins: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

Ever hate yourself for not trusting your instinct? Well, trust me, it's not a nice feeling. It's especially difficult to take after the Washington Redskins ignored the armchair experts and took Brandon Scherff with the fifth overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft.

In the process, the Burgundy and Gold wisely earned the best offensive lineman in this class. Scherff instantly becomes a core building block for a group in need of major repairs after surrendering 58 sacks in 2014.

Not only that, but the former Iowa mainstay will also act as the focal point for the running game. B/R's Matt Miller dubbed him the top run-blocker in this class: 

Washington's rushing offense is set to undergo a change in style for the new season. The Redskins are abandoning their reliance on the outside-zone stretch plays that have been the vogue of their ground attack since 2010.

Instead, general manager Scot McCloughan, head coach Jay Gruden and new O-line guru Bill Callahan will favor more power-based schemes. That means hat-on-hat, drive blocking.

Fortunately, those things represent Scherff's forte. He's never better than when he clamps on to defenders and clears them out of running lanes.

As much as anything else, though, Scherff will bring a bona fide mean streak to a lightweight group that's been routinely roughed up. Fox Sports' Jay Glazer is certainly an admirer of Scherff's toughness:

In terms of where he'll fit, consider any one of three positions in his range. Left or right guard would suit the 6'5", 319-pounder after neither Chris Chester nor Shawn Lauvao impressed anybody last season.

The latter position is the interesting one. Right guard is usually the interior mauler under the most pressure in pass protection.

Considering the majority of quarterbacks are right-armed and throw most passes over the head of the right guard, the throwing lane that side has to be secured. Scherff will ensure it is as long as he's playing in a phone booth, as most interior maulers do.

He can struggle against speed-rushers in space, which is why putting him at tackle is a risk. But on the inside, Scherff will clamp on to D-tackles and use his excellent instincts responding to stunts and twists.

After playing left tackle at the collegiate level, Scherff would make the same transition Zack Martin made for hated NFC East rival the Dallas Cowboys last season. Martin went to the Pro Bowl as a rookie, and B/R's Miller thinks Scherff could be even better:

That's potentially great news for a Washington offense needing a rebound both through the air and on the ground. Picking Scherff wasn't the glamour move, but it fits with how McCloughan has been building throughout the offseason.

NFL Media analyst Bucky Brooks sees shades of the way McCloughan once rebuilt the San Francisco 49ers in this pick:

Building from the trenches up is the smartest way to retool a losing roster. Selecting Scherff means McCloughan has made the best possible start.