The other day I was scrolling my twitter feed and saw Big Blue View’s note that Brandon Scherff still was the mode, the player the Giants were selecting with the most frequency in the mocks. This did not imply BBV’s endorsement, nor did it imply the Giants’ either . What it did was report a consensus who matched a Giants need (OL) with a highly touted player. Usually at this high level of the draft (the 9th selection) there is a lot known about teams and players. As an example, for better and for worse, Wonder’s Top 10 rated players last year went in the first 11 overall. But this year, mock or no mock, Wonder disagrees with consensus on Scherff. Unequivocally.
“I am not a Scherff guy,” said Wonder, UltimateNYG draft analyst. “His footwork is too slow for him to be an elite tackle. I don’t think he’s particularly strong. He’s not strong enough for me to see him as a dominant interior lineman. So why do I pick him at 9? I project him as a solid starter (Grade 3 ranking on a Scale of 1 to 7… 1=Dominant 2=Occasional All Pro, 4=replaceable starter, 5=backup, 6=fringe 7=bust) at best, and probably a 4 replaceable starter. He has very limited upside and that’s why I don’t draft him. He reminds me of another Iowa Tackle who was highly touted but ended up as a solid Guard, Robert Gallery.”
Wonder is not the final word on all things in the draft. He had Beckham as 18th in the Draft and liked the WR a lot. But he did not “love” him and missed on the exceptional quickness that would make him Rookie of the Year. Still, perhaps Wonder’s biggest strength is not necessarily on greatness as much as sniffing out consensus highly rated players with limited potential who can bust. Two OTs recently who were panned by Wonder were Chris Williams (2008, Round 1, 14th overall) and Andre Smith (2009, Round 1, 6th overall). They both have had unremarkable careers as replaceable starters. For his part, Wonder was much more confident and negative about these 2 players coming out of college than he is about Brandon Scherff. The downside of Scherff is less than he projected for Williams and Smith. If Scherff ends up being anywhere from a solid starter to a replaceable starter and gives you solid starts for many years, that is not a bad outcome. BUT NOT AT 9th OVERALL. At 9th OVERALL you are shooting for a player who at least has upside.. someone who has dominant possibilities. This is the kind of player you draft at the end of Round 1 or more likely in Round 2. Of course he is going to get taken a lot higher than that. That doesn’t mean you pick him. “If my NY Jets take him at 6, I’ll be crying, but at least that’ll save the Gmen from the trouble of making that mistake,” said Wonder.
Wonder is not alone in the pan of Scherff. Former Raiders scout (and previous contributor to this NY Giants blog) Pete Furman is not excited about Scherff either. Pete is featured on NY Giants Underground.
“There has been talk about the Giants selecting Brandon Scherff with their first round pick. Scherff is big guy and reportedly with an attitude, but neither the speed or arm length to play anywhere but guard. “
Pete Furman tweeted: “I am NOT a big fan of Scherff! He sure isn’t Chris Snee not to mention the history of Iowa OL in the NFL… Trade down!”
Note how both Wonder and Pete independently agree that Scherff is probably going to be an NFL Guard. Unless you are getting a monster mauler super stud dominant Guard, you do not take that at 9th Overall. The mainstream consensus sees Tackle. We do not, and that is a big reason why his value slips significantly.
Yes, once again the “Trade Down” concept that came up in our first 2015 Draft installment last weekend, and the one touched upon again here by Pete, surfaces again. Trade down. The more we talk about this draft, the clearer it is that the Giants will best be served in this draft by trading down, getting an excellent player and picking up more pick/s.
Who else will be very interesting for the Giants if they trade down? Enter Pete’s pick, Shaq Thompson. In the link above to Scherff, he notes Thompson’s appeal as a LBer and Safety. It’s the Safety projection for Thompson that really got Wonder’s attention. “That is a very interesting piece of thinking for Pete to project Thompson as a Safety in the NFL,” explains Wonder. “I like it. I like it a lot. It is intriguing. As an undersized LBer, he can still move sideline to sideline. And as a Safety he can be a hitter like Kam Chancellor (btw, who Wonder ranked at 58th in the Draft, taken by Seattle 133rd in Round 5, an impact player with 3 Pro Bowls).”
Wonder explains more. “Here is where the interview is a must! You have to interview this player and talk to him about whether he wants to be an NFL LBer or whether he wants to be an NFL player. If he has the flexibility and the willingness to do whatever it takes to be successful in the NFL, no matter where he plays, then you have the attitude needed to draft him.”
As for where Wonder projects Thompson in the Draft, this is where he disagrees with Pete: “I think Pete is really onto something with Thompson as a Safety in the NFL. But that means he is going to need some time to develop and that means some risk too. So I cannot take him in Round 1, and certainly not at 9. But as a Round 2 pick, yes. Round 3 would be a steal, he will not last that long. Thompson likes to play football. He works as a 4-3 LBer to cover RBs. He will not be able to take on OTs, but this is the beauty of moving him to Safety. He is an athlete! He can hit. He has upside. But he will need to learn coverage aspects of Safety.”
If the Giants trade down to the 28-30th pick in the Draft, they can make a small reach and get a guy who can become their Safety for many years. He probably will not be on the board by the time the Giants pick at 8th in Round 2 (40th Overall), but that is a great draft if you can get this potential at 40th overall. As Walter Football notes: “Shaq Thompson is overrated; the media has him in the 1st round, but teams rate him as a 2nd round prospect. However he fits the range at this (45th) pick.” They are thinking LBer, and we are thinking Safety.
Summary: Both Wonder and Pete Furman see eye to eye on Scherff (no) and Thompson (yes) , two NFL prospects with different potential. Trading down looks better and better.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
