Vikings Draft: Brandon Scherff a Realistic Possibility at 11?

We’ve reached the point in mock draft season now where people are sick of seeing the same names in the same spots so folks are starting to reach a little bit and consider different somewhat unlikely possibilities.

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That’s how you wind up with a player like Iowa offensive lineman Brandon Scherff being mocked to the Vikings at 11 by NFL.com’s Charles Davis. Ahead of both Amari Cooper and DeVante Parker.

Scherff is not a name we’ve seen come up all that often in connection with the Vikings. The rationale for mocking him to the Vikings is that Minnesota needs to get better on the offensive line and Scherff is a guy who would provide an instant upgrade over Charlie Johnson at left guard.

Though Scherff did play tackle in college, scouts seem agreed that his build and power-oriented game make him better suited to playing guard in the NFL. Though guard is a position of need for the Vikings, there is reason to doubt that they would think about targeting the position so high in the draft.

Rick Spielman as we know has a history of going after interior linemen late in the draft and developing them. That was how he found John Sullivan and Brandon Fusco. Last year the Vikings took David Yankey and are still waiting to see if he fits into the picture as a replacement for the journeyman Johnson.

Spielman’s tendencies of course do not preclude him from going after a player if he really likes that player and believes that player is good value at a given spot. It just seems more likely that if the Vikings do target a guard they will do so via free agency and give Yankey a chance to win the job in competition against a veteran.

Scherff would seemingly only make sense for the Vikes at 11 if they believe he represents an upgrade at either of the tackle spots. However, some scouts argue that Scherff’s lack of foot speed would make him a pass protection liability were he placed at tackle in the pros.

Fans may be frustrated with the way things went down last year on the O-line, but the fact is, it’s unlikely the Vikings will undertake a major overhaul up front. When the season rolls around, there’s a very good chance that four of the five starters will be unchanged from last year. And there’s still a decent chance that all five starters – including the maligned Charlie Johnson – will be back in their same roles.

The most likely scenario is that the Vikings will address the O-line through late-round picks and free agency in hopes of giving themselves some options in camp. But using the #11 overall pick on an O-lineman? I’m not convinced this is a realistic possibility.

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