Of the positions that absolutely MUST improve over last season if the Saints want to go anywhere the one that gets the least amount of hype is probably the offensive line. The Saints line play was incredibly sporadic last year, and in the latter half of the year was outright terrible at times. So long as Drew Brees remains QB for the Saints the team’s success is based on his, and no QB is going to be consistently good (much less great) with a line giving up constant interior pressure. Even if the Saints decide to put a bandage on the poor line play through free agency they have too many aging veterans on the line to not draft some young players that are a little more likely to make the team than 6th rounder Tavon Rooks. If there is one position group I will fully admit I have limited knowledge on it is the offensive line. Like any fan I have the enviable ability to point at someone and go ‘he isn’t doing his job’, but while I have at least a rudimentary knowledge of other positions…when it comes to the offensive line I am pretty much clueless.
With that said there are two guys who could come up in the first round for the Saints that would not necessarily make me throw the nearest object at my tv. La’El Collins out of LSU and Brandon Scherff out of Iowa. Both are Tackles capable of moving to the inside (at least to start) and shore up one of the Saints biggest positions of need: Guard.
What are their Strengths?
Scherff is the very definition of the term ‘country strong’. The guy is a human wrecking ball whose incredible power gives him great value as a run blocker. Collins on the other hand isn’t quite as powerful as Scherff (not weak by any means mind you), but his greatest attribute isn’t physical anyway: its his tenacity. Collins may be a tackle, but he has something the Saints O-line hasn’t had since 2011 when they had Carl Nicks… a mean streak. Collins has the right balance of solid technique/self-control, and bad intentions. Collins isn’t dirty, but he comes with a ‘I’m gonna kick your @^*’ mentality that can’t be taught. Scherff lacks some of that intensity, but considering how monstrous he can be, that might actually be a good thing. With his power Scherff needs to fix his technique, not over compensate with over-aggressiveness that isn’t a part of his nature. Scherff is the kind of pure power house that can open the kind of lanes that Ingram thrived off of last year, while also having the raw ability to stand up to monsters like Gerald McCoy (who killed us). Both players have a ton of potential and little downside (that we can tell), and there is a strong case to be made for either one if they are available at 13 and Payloo decide to pull the trigger.
Where do they Project?
As I once again acknowledge in this case I am relying more on the expertise of others than my own observations, but they do project to have difference career paths. Scherff is a guard at the NFL level. He doesn’t project as a tackle and the power he displays combined with his average foot speed is perfect for an interior position. Collins absolutley has the ability to move inside (especially early in his career) as a way to get him on the field, but he will only reach his full potential as a Tackle. If the Saints were to take him they may very well play Collins inside for a year or two, and then move him to right tackle when Zack Strief (sadly) finds he can no longer get the job done. Collins and Armstead could make an elite Tackle combo, but for the immediate future he definitely has the ability to play guard. The advantag for Scherff is he has Pro-Bowl potential on the interior and the Saints have always value guards over tackles under Payton (at least with Drew at QB).
Would I pull the trigger?
Myself personally I don’t know if either will be there, and I can’t say its worth the pick until we see what Payloo bring us in FA, but both have the talent to be picked at 13. If I have to take only one of them I prefer Collins because he brings a little more versatility. Collins could start inside, but already knows the Tackle position and so could replace Bryce Harris as the teams backup. Positional flexibility, great physical attributes, and a mean streak makes Collins practically the ideal prospect for the Saints. The only question for me is whether the Saints have filled other, bigger, holes on the team before making the pick. It also depends on who else is available at the time. There are some good (perhaps great) guard prospects later in this draft that could be had in rounds 2-5, but at most other positions this draft is top heavy and the Saints really need a home run at 13.
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