Washington Redskins first-round pick Brandon Scherff was touted pre-draft as a versatile lineman, able to line up at both guard and tackle. It seems though, only a short while into his professional tenure that his NFL position may have already become solidified. Scherff is reportedly "uncomfortable" at tackle and thus will remain at the right guard spot going forward, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN. While Scherff saw ample time at the outset of Redskins offseason work and even Washington training camp last week at right tackle, it seems his recent move inside to guard may be a permanent one.
Scherff's move wouldn't matter much in the grand scheme of things for most players, but the Redskins don't really have a ready replacement at tackle - second-year man Morgan Moses took the spot formerly occupied by Scherff outside on Sunday - and the fifth-overall selection is a big price to pay for a player who is strictly a guard. And for those Redskins fans wondering if Scherff's move came out of necessity because of the poor play of guard Spencer Long, think again. Per Caplan, Scherff's move and Long's benching had nothing to do with Long's performance.
Prior to this past April's draft, the book on Scherff was that the former Iowa Hawkeye tackle had the measurables and traits to be an NFL tackle, but that he could be best-suited for guard. Scherff's athleticism is limited compared to elite outside blockers and, as NFL.com's Lance Zierlein noted, he's "more powerful than explosive."
"Road-grader with pancake-man potential, but has holes in his pass protection that will be exposed on the next level -- especially at tackle," Zierlein wrote.
NFL Network Senior Analyst Mike Mayock was onboard with the move at the time, though largely because he noted that the Redskins were searching for a right tackle.
"How about that? The beauty is that Washington has been looking for a right tackle. The right side of the Redskins' line is getting younger and more athletic. Scherff is a lot like Zack Martin from last year's draft," Mayock said after the Redskins made their selection.
After the draft, Redskins GM Scot McCloughan raved about Scherff's ability and, while he did indicate that the big blocker would be "fine" wherever the team put him, seemed to intimate that Scherff was tackle-bound.
"Like I said he played tackle in college. He played in the Big Ten and started many, many years and had a lot of success. He's a good enough foot athlete, not just from the athleticism and size," McCloughan said, via the Washington Times. "Everybody says, 'Well, he's only got 33 and 3/4 [inch] arms.' That's fine. The average is 34. OK, so he's a quarter-inch off. He's going to succeed because not just with his athleticism, size and toughness, but the instincts for the position. He knows how to play tackle, and that's why he's had success in college. You can't teach instincts. He'll be fine wherever we put him. He's one of those guys that can succeed no matter what."
With Scherff now inside on what would seem to be a fairly permanent basis, a pick that already looked a little questionable now seems set to stir up even more controversy. While Scherff may still manage a long and successful NFL career at guard, it's unlikely he'll ever be able to live up to the expectations or the value of a top-five NFL draft pick.
