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2015 NFL Draft: 5 players Tampa Bay Buccaneers should draft instead of Jameis Winston

By Andrew Garda

Dec 28, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith walks on the sidelines as the New Orleans Saints beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith walks on the sidelines as the New Orleans Saints beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 2, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Brandon Scherff (68) gets ready to block Tennessee Volunteers defensive end Derek Barnett (9) in the first quarter of the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl at EverBank Field. The Tennessee Volunteers beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 45-28. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Brandon Scherff (68) gets ready to block Tennessee Volunteers defensive end Derek Barnett (9) in the first quarter of the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl at EverBank Field. The Tennessee Volunteers beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 45-28. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports /

Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line was brutal last season, save perhaps for Demar Dotson, who did some real work swinging between the left and right tackles. Otherwise though, it was a tragedy, ranked No. 30 at NFL.com, and allowing 52 sacks and 124 quarterback hits.

It won’t matter who they have under center if he’s abused like that this year.

They have Kevin Pamphile slated for right tackle now, but he didn’t look particularly good in limited action last season, so something needs to change.

Enter Brandon Scherff, generally regarded as the top offensive tackle in this year’s NFL Draft. You wouldn’t take a right tackle this high, but you could select Scherff and kick Dotson over to the right tackle to get two decent bookends.

Scherff is really strong who can translate that strength into some outstanding run blocking (and the Buccaneers are desperate to get that ground game going again after last season), and he can manhandle defenders up into the second level. If he finishes one block, he can quickly move to another defender and allow the running back to gain more space to move.

He’s not quite as good in pass protection—his pop off the snap isn’t terribly explosive —but he does a good job stonewalling pass rushers.

Scherff is also very tough. He tore his meniscus last season against Ball State, had surgery and was back on the field for the next game. The Buccaneers need reliable offensive linemen who will play through injury—they can’t afford to have people hurt, not with their lack of depth—and Scherff fits that bill.

Why you stick with Winston:

While a great offensive tackle can be worth a pick this high, is Scherff? It’s great that he played through injury last year but you can’t do that all the time and he missed half the season in 2012. While he can play outside, he may be better off as a guard and while the Buccaneers need guard help as well, you just don’t take one with the top pick.

Further, while he is an outstanding run-blocker, the issues he has in pass protection could make him a liability at tackle—especially left tackle.

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