New Orleans Saints: Making the case for Brandon Scherff

By Luis Tirado Jr. | Apr 17, 2015

With the No. 13 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft as well as the No. 31 pick acquired via trade, the New Orleans Saints have a myriad of options to consider. When looking at the overall needs of the team, the first thing that comes into mind is the upgrades and depth needed on their offensive line. I’ve always believed that one of the key elements of winning plenty of football games lies in the battle of the trenches. If you have quality offensive linemen holding down the fort, everything starts to gel nicely on offense. That’s why I’m making the case for the Saints to draft offensive lineman Brandon Scherff.

The draft is a hectic frenzy and no one will ever know how everything will transpire. There is a good chance however that many of the top offensive linemen in this year’s draft should fall when the Saints are on the clock.

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Since guys like Andrus Peat and La’el Collins might be gone by the time the Saints get to pick, I think Scherff might just still be available for the taking. At 6’5″ and 319 pounds, Scherff is an absolute monster of an offensive lineman. He can push his way around the opposition and make it look effortless.

He’s incredible strong and has a strong motor to the point that he’ll keep going on each and every down until the whistle is blown. He never gives up and his work ethic is extraordinary. The Saints need an immediate boost of talent on their offensive line as Scherff could be groomed to be an anchor on it for years to come.

Depth is incredibly important since if any of the Saints’ current offensive linemen go down to injury, it won’t bode well since they don’t have quality backups that can step right in and hold things down. At the current moment, Zach Strief is getting up there in age at 31 years old and they need to start grooming his eventual replacement while he is still a starter.

Jahri Evans has been too inconsistent and hasn’t solidified himself as being able to handle responsibilities well at right guard. Since Scherff is considered more of a guard than tackle when it comes to the NFL, he should be able to give the Saints quality depth at the position.

Feb 20, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes offensive linemen Brandon Scherff goes through a footwork drill during the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Scherff is incredibly versatile and can step right in for either position if need be. One can’t put a value on that as he could be exactly what the Saints need to beef up their offensive line while also have a quality option waiting to come into a game at any given notice.

While the Saints made a very smart but unpopular trade involving sending tight end Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for center Max Unger and their No. 31 first-round draft pick, they need to keep adding more talent to their offensive line for it to have made sense. Unger fills an immediate need as now they just have to keep building around him for it all to come together.

Overall, while taking an offensive lineman with your first-round draft pick isn’t a splashy kind of move, it makes the most sense from a technical point of view.

It might not bring touchdowns like a wide receiver or provide bone-crushing tackles like a linebacker, but drafting a top offensive lineman like Scherff would give quarterback Drew Brees and company the pass protection he needs to succeed once again.

Next: New Orleans Saints: Making the case for Randy Gregory

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