Rams like do-it-all prospect Scherff/PD

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RamBill

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Rams like do-it-all prospect Scherff

• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_71bc41f5-0c88-510c-b5f4-c48cd6ce1f80.html

INDIANAPOLIS • He once was a 290-pound quarterback who liked to sneak it on second-and-5. (Just try and tackle him.)

He played three spring sports in high school. (Including tennis.)

The video of his 433-pound hang clean went viral among the lifting set. (He did it three times in a row.)

In college, he played a game just four days after undergoing knee surgery. (Torn meniscus.)

When you consder all that, if Dos Equis had an ad campaign based on NFL draft prospects, Iowa’s Brandon Scherff would be the most interesting lineman in the world.

Those feats are well beyond the norm, but Scherff doesn’t have to be superhuman in the NFL. Great will suffice.

He’s regarded as the best offensive lineman in the draft this year — a tackle who some think could be even better at guard at the next level.

And yes, the Rams — who need a starting guard and have the No. 10 pick in the first round — are all over him. They had a visit with Scherff at the NFL Scouting Combine.

The 10 spot could be just about right for Scherff, although some have him going higher, some lower.

Scherff is a tough, physical player who excels at run-blocking — which sounds like a good fit for coach Jeff Fisher and the Rams. After running a 5.05 time in the 40, which was fourth-best among the 52 offensive linemen invited to Indy, Scherff’s Combine was finished.

He reportedly suffered a hamstring injury and did no more workouts. He also managed only a modest 23 reps in the 225-pound bench press. But neither development is expected to affect his draft status.

Scherff, 6 feet 5, 319 pounds, grew up in small-town Iowa, attending Denison High. That’s where he played QB, at 290 pounds, before switching to the line.

“It was different,” Scherff said of his days under center. “My center was like 190 pounds.”

That made those quarterback sneaks problematic. Scherff didn’t want to just fall on someone who weighed 100 less than him — that might be painful for the center.

“I told him to go left, and I’d go right,” Scherff said. “Or vice versa.”

As a freshman, he played football in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball, tennis, and participated in track in the spring.

Even as a high school freshman, Scherff might have been the largest tennis player in the state; he was No. 4 singles on the varsity squad. He said he had an effective finesse serve.

“I tried to spin it,” he said. “They never expected it.”

He dropped tennis after his freshman season because there were just too many conflicts between all those spring sports. It probably was a good decision, because he was an all-state player in baseball and won the Iowa state championship in the shot put as a sophomore.

In college, Scherff ended his Iowa career with a flourish as the Outland Trophy winner, a consensus 2014 All-American and winner of the Rimington-Pace Award as the top blocker in the Big 10 Conference. (That award is named in part for former Rams and Ohio State great Orlando Pace.)

Now he’s trying to join the long line of Iowa Hawkeyes offensive linemen, particularly under current coach Kirk Ferentz, to make their mark in the NFL.

The group includes Ross Verba, Robert Gallery, Bryan Bulaga, Ben Nelson, Erich Steinbach, Marshal Yanda and Riley Reiff.

Scherff’s toughness is unquestioned, as indicated by that right knee injury last season. It was a torn meniscus, which usually is a month-long injury. After missing a series, Scherff returned to action later in that game, against Ball State, in September.

He underwent an MRI that Monday, had the knee ’scoped on Tuesday, and after practicing Wednesday and Thursday played the next Saturday against state rival Iowa State.

How is that possible?

“I love the game; I’d do anything to play,” he said. “You know, I owe something to my team. If I was able to play, I was going to play.”

Iowa’s success at cranking out offensive linemen shows he has the pedigree, and if anything, that helps his draft status.

“I think it speaks for Coach Ferentz and the coaching staff that he has there,” Scherff said. “I learned from Riley Reiff. He’s the Detroit left tackle right now and he’s taught me everything ... (I’m) just trying to carry on that tradition.”

Scherff enters the NFL with a degree in sports studies, a major he chose because he wants to get into coaching when his playing days are done. Obviously, all the teams that talked to him over the weekend — Rams included — hope his coaching career is 10-15 years into the future.

That playing career very well could be at guard. That’s a position at which NFL draft analyst Mike Mayock recently said Scherff has all-Pro potential.

The Rams feel Scherff would be an upgrade over Davin Joseph, once a two-time Pro Bowler but now near the end of his career. Joseph is an unrestricted free agent and isn’t expected back.

Just about every team Scherff met with has asked him about the possibility of playing guard.

“I said I’m pretty versatile,” Scherff said. “I feel like I can play guard and tackle, but whatever they need.

“I don’t think (guard) would be a challenge. I like run blocking. It would be a little closer (to the opponent). You’re getting a little help from the center also. I think it’d be a smooth move for me.”
 

Elmgrovegnome

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Sounds like one heck of an athlete. I would be fine with Scherf being the pick. I really like Kevin White, he has the makings of an elite WR, but it is tough to argue the dire need to fix the OLine too.
 

jrry32

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I'm not sure how I'd feel about Scherff at #10. I like him at OG but I kind of feel like if that's the direction we want to go, we should trade down a few picks.
 

Memento

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No, please, fate, no! No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
 

thehammer

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elite player..elite person....at a need position
usually the simpliest solution is the best..question is does he last till #10 and do we stay at #10
 

Athos

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I like Scherff, but I don't think I'd like him at 10.

That pick would be Peat if he's still there.
 

Memento

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I like Scherff, but I don't think I'd like him at 10.

That pick would be Peat if he's still there.

Agree completely on Peat. You definitely deserve a like for that.
 

Elmgrovegnome

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elite player..elite person....at a need position
usually the simpliest solution is the best..question is does he last till #10 and do we stay at #10

After an overall underwhelming combine by the large majority of attendees, I think it is best to stand pat and get the best player the Rams can.

This year I am not advocating a trade down.
 

BadCompany

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Yeah, I don't know if I want a trade down either. Give me the battleship over the three destroyers, please. I want talent, not quantity.

Now of course if they think they can get both...
 

OC--LeftCoast

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I think some are splitting hairs, it never fails to amaze me (this time of year)

It begins as soon as the season end, draft boards start up, we all talk about fixing the line, along comes the combine then (with many) its all about gotta take some WR or other skill player, cant draft Oline too high...value, value, value, blah blah blah.

My take is, if you knock it out of the park with a can't miss Guard, you take him when you have the chance, don't risk losing out.

White, Cooper or whomever the "sexy" pick is, if we don't fix the line, it's just not going to matter.
 

jrry32

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After an overall underwhelming combine by the large majority of attendees, I think it is best to stand pat and get the best player the Rams can.

This year I am not advocating a trade down.

Eh, I think the quality of players between #10 and #20 will stay fairly consistent. I think one to two OLs like go in the top 10 and one very possibly is D.J. Humphries(Peat is the other). If that goes down, it likely leaves us with Scherff, Collins, Clemmings, and Flowers who will all go off the board in those 10 picks...as well as possibly Cameron Erving. So I think we could trade down a few spots if we choose to.
 

Athos

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White, Cooper or whomever the "sexy" pick is, if we don't fix the line, it's just not going to matter.

Eh, when it comes to a talent like Cooper though, a very refined talent already I might add, I think you'd have to to be dumb not to choose him at 10 if you have the opportunity.

If Snisher really wanted to, we have had had GRob AND Martin, if we had skipped out on Donald. How'd that work for us? Pretty damned well if I do say so.

Now, our offensive line most certainly needs help, but 1 first round pick on a skill player, in a draft literally littered with OG upgrades, shouldn't hurt us.
 

OC--LeftCoast

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Eh, when it comes to a talent like Cooper though, a very refined talent already I might add, I think you'd have to to be dumb not to choose him at 10


Sure would be nice to have a guy like that, sure would be nice to have a do-over in the TA trade up (that was a real killer, I recall you hated it)

What would you pick considering our team and their needs right now if you knew the future

1) A 5 time All Pro WR
2) A 10 time All Pro RG

I may be in the minority here but I'm going choice 2
 

Athos

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You can't look at that in a vacuum though.

I think, in this draft, you're more liable to find the all pro WR in teh 1st, and still get an all-pro OG in the 2nd. Plenty of really good OG prospects and we pick pretty early in the 2nd too.
 

OC--LeftCoast

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You can't look at that in a vacuum though.

I think, in this draft, you're more liable to find the all pro WR in teh 1st, and still get an all-pro OG in the 2nd. Plenty of really good OG prospects and we pick pretty early in the 2nd too.


That's a solid and popular way to look at it, I'm looking for a can't miss plug and play (not another raw tools guy) interior line fix, and you're right many have come from later rounds, the Rams can't afford to whiff on this one, to me that's priority 1 entering this draft.

Should be interesting, I have a feeling they may have this kind of decision to make come draft day,
 

Memento

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That's a solid and popular way to look at it, I'm looking for a can't miss plug and play (not another raw tools guy) interior line fix, and you're right many have come from later rounds, the Rams can't afford to whiff on this one, to me that's priority 1 entering this draft.

Should be interesting, I have a feeling they may have this kind of decision to make come draft day,

And you really think that Scherff is plug-and-play at left guard? The only real plug-and-play players in this draft for offensive linemen who can actually help us are Peat and Cann. Clemmings and Collins still need work, but they can also be fantastic additions.
 

Elmgrovegnome

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Eh, I think the quality of players between #10 and #20 will stay fairly consistent. I think one to two OLs like go in the top 10 and one very possibly is D.J. Humphries(Peat is the other). If that goes down, it likely leaves us with Scherff, Collins, Clemmings, and Flowers who will all go off the board in those 10 picks...as well as possibly Cameron Erving. So I think we could trade down a few spots if we choose to.

Sure if you rate them all nearly the same. But if not what are actually trading for? A second or more likely a third in this years draft? What is that worth? Is it the same as a third in last years draft? Is next year a much deeper draft? If so then trade for a pick in next years draft. If you trade down it should be for something worthwhile. In a weak draft a third rounder could be like a fifth or a sixth rounder in a very good draft.
 

Merlin

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Eh, when it comes to a talent like Cooper though, a very refined talent already I might add, I think you'd have to to be dumb not to choose him at 10 if you have the opportunity.

If Snisher really wanted to, we have had had GRob AND Martin, if we had skipped out on Donald. How'd that work for us? Pretty damned well if I do say so.

Now, our offensive line most certainly needs help, but 1 first round pick on a skill player, in a draft literally littered with OG upgrades, shouldn't hurt us.

No doubt. There will be a short list of guys the Rams run to the podium to get at 10. Cooper has to be on that list, so does Peat.

I will say they have limited flexibility though. If they go BPA at 10 then they're gonna have to do a QB/OG combination with the others. Granted, we haven't been through FA yet, but I doubt they fix the line by signing three guys. At best we are looking at a FA center and re-signing Barks which means they still have to draft at least one OG in those first three rounds. Plus the third round is pushing their luck with QB depending on which guy they have their eye on.

Gotta say I do like the idea of moving down a little, taking a guy like Sherff while recouping another pick, and maintaining some flexibility with their second rounder. But whatever. As long as they draft OL and QB in the first three rounds I'm good. And if they don't have a strong FA period addressing the OL it will be two OL and a QB in the first three rounds IMO.