Brandon Scherff

Brandon Scherff
refer to caption
Scherff with the Jaguars in 2022
No. 68 – Jacksonville Jaguars
Position:Guard
Personal information
Born: (1991-12-26) December 26, 1991 (age 32)
Denison, Iowa, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:315 lb (143 kg)
Career information
High school:Denison
College:Iowa (2010–2014)
NFL draft:2015 / round: 1 / pick: 5
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 1, 2024
Games played:124
Games started:124
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Brandon Scherff (born December 26, 1991) is an American professional football guard for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, earning unanimous All-American honors. He was selected by the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft, where he played for seven seasons and was selected to five Pro Bowls.

Early life

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A native of Denison, Iowa, Scherff attended Denison High School, where he was a two-way lineman, earning first-team all-state honors on offense as a senior after earning second-team all-state on defense as a junior. As a sophomore, he played quarterback, passing for 1,200 yards on the season. Scherff's high school coach was Dave Wiebers.[1] He also played basketball, where he led the state in rebounds as a senior, and baseball, where he helped his team qualify for the state tournament as a junior.

Scherff was also on the school's track & field team, where he was a standout shot putter and discus thrower, earning All-State recognition. He won two state titles in the shot put as a sophomore and a senior, placed third as a freshman and second as a junior. He won the shot put event at the 2010 Drake Relays, recording a career-best throw of 18.77 meters, setting a school record.[2] At the 2010 Iowa State T&F Championships, he placed third in the discus throw, with a personal-best throw of 48.95 meters.[3]

Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Scherff was ranked as the No. 44 offensive tackle prospect in 2010.[4] He committed to Iowa over offers from Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, and Nebraska.[5]

College career

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Scherff playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2013

After redshirting his initial year at Iowa, Scherff saw action at left guard in eleven games on the season, starting three. In his sophomore year, he replaced Riley Reiff as the starting left tackle. He started first seven games of season at left tackle before suffering a broken fibula and a dislocated ankle in game seven,[6] and missed the remainder of the season due to injury.

Despite being regarded one of the best offensive lineman prospects for the NFL draft after his junior year at Iowa, Scherff decided to return for his senior year.[7] He received his B.A. degree in Leisure studies in December 2014. After the 2014 season, Scherff was awarded the Outland Trophy as the country's best interior lineman.

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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Coming out of Iowa, Scherff was projected by the majority of analysts and scouts to be selected in the first round.[8][9][10] He was ranked as the best offensive tackle in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, the top interior lineman by Mike Mayock, the best offensive lineman and guard by Lance Zierlein, and top offensive tackle by Sports Illustrated.[11][12][13] Scherff received an invitation to the NFL Combine and completed the bench press and 40, 20, and 10-yard dash. Due to a hamstring injury, he was not able to finish the entire combine. On March 23, 2015, he participated at Iowa's Pro Day and completed the drills he was unable to perform at the combine. Along with the bench, he did the vertical jump, broad jump, short shuttle, and 3-cone drill. By the time the draft was approaching, he was considered a top 10 overall pick.[14] Many scouts and analysts were conflicted over his future position in the NFL, split on whether he was better suited to play offensive tackle or guard.[15]

Scherff in a game during his rookie season in 2015
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 4+5⁄8 in
(1.95 m) 		319 lb
(145 kg) 		33+3⁄8 in
(0.85 m) 		11 in
(0.28 m)		 5.05 s 1.80 s 2.98 s 4.57 s 7.18 s 32.5 in
(0.83 m)		 8 ft 11 in
(2.72 m)		 23 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Iowa's Pro Day[16][14]

Washington Redskins / Football Team

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The Washington Redskins selected Scherff in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2015 NFL draft.[17][18] This made him the first player from Iowa drafted in the top ten since Robert Gallery was selected second overall in 2004. On May 12, 2015, Scherff signed a fully guaranteed four-year, $21.21 million contract with the team.[19][20][21]

He entered training camp competing with Morgan Moses for the starting right tackle position but was moved to right guard prior to the beginning of the regular season. Since he was able to handle bull rushes well, he was thought to better suit the right guard position and be responsible for a smaller area where his power would be more useful.[22] Offensive line coach Bill Callahan named him the Redskins’ starting right guard to begin the season after winning the job over Spencer Long in the preseason.[23]

Scherff made his professional debut in the Redskins' season-opening 17–10 loss to the Miami Dolphins. He started all 16 regular season games, played 752 snaps, and helped the Redskins finish first in the NFC East with a 9–7 record. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[24] In January 2016, he started his first career postseason game, as the Redskins were routed by the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wildcard game 35–18.[25] Scherff finished his second season starting in all 16 regular season games, and due to his highly regarded performance that year, he was voted to the 2017 Pro Bowl, his first such vote.[26] He was also voted to the 2018 Pro Bowl the following year.[27]

Scherff (#75) playing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020–21 Wild Card Playoff game.

On April 16, 2018, the Redskins picked up the fifth-year option on Scherff's contract.[28] On November 5, he was placed on injured reserve after suffering a torn pectoral in Week 9.[29] For the 2019 season, Scherff was voted to his third Pro Bowl.[30] The same day, the Redskins placed Scherff on injured reserve due to elbow and shoulder injuries.[31][32]

An impending free agent in 2020, the team placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Scherff prior to the start of the new league year, with him agreeing to it on April 8, 2020.[33][34] He was placed on injured reserve on September 22 following a MCL sprain he suffered during a Week 2 game against the Arizona Cardinals before being reactivated on October 16, 2020.[35][36] He was named to the 2021 Pro Bowl, his fourth in his career,[37] as well becoming the first Washington player to be named first-team All-Pro since punter Matt Turk in 1996.[38] He was also ranked 98th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021 list.[39]

In March 2021, Washington placed another non-exclusive franchise tag on Scherff, worth $18 million, which he signed days later.[40][41] He was placed on the team's COVID-19 reserve list on July 31, 2021,[42] and was activated on August 5.[43] In the Week 4 game against the Atlanta Falcons, Scherff left the game in the second quarter due to a MCL sprain.[44] He missed the Week 15 and 16 games against the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys after being placed on the COVID-19 reserve list for a second time on December 20, 2021.[45] A week later, Scherff was placed back on the active roster.[46]

Jacksonville Jaguars

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Scherff signed a three-year, $49.5 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars on March 16, 2022.[47]

Personal life

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Scherff is a life-long Lutheran who regularly contributes autographed memorabilia for fundraisers for his Lutheran grade school.[48]

References

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  1. ^ "Iowa's Scherff is a big guy from a little role". The Gazette. November 7, 2013. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  2. ^ "Drake Relays 2010". MileSplit Iowa. April 22, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  3. ^ "Iowa State T&F Championships - - Track & Field Meet".
  4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ "Brandon Scherff, 2010 Offensive Tackle, Iowa". Rivals.com. July 8, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  6. ^ "Iowa left tackle Brandon Scherff to miss 'a couple months'". CBS Sports. October 22, 2012.
  7. ^ "Iowa's Brandon Scherff staying for senior season". NFL.com. December 9, 2013.
  8. ^ Brugler, Dane (May 11, 2014). "2015 NFL mock draft: Big Ten, ACC prospects lead the way". CBS Sports.
  9. ^ Sobleski, Brent (May 11, 2014). "2015 mock draft: Jameis Winston slips out of Top 5". USA Today.
  10. ^ Burke, Chris (May 13, 2014). "2015 NFL Mock Draft 1.0: Cedric Ogbuehi goes No. 1 overall to Oakland Raiders". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  11. ^ Doug Farrar (April 1, 2015). "2015 NFL Draft positional rankings: Offensive tackle". si.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  12. ^ Mike Mayock (April 28, 2015). "Mike Mayock's 2015 NFL Draft position rankings". NFL.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  13. ^ Daniel Jeremiah (March 20, 2015). "2015 NFL Draft: Lance Zierlein's top 10 offensive lineman". NFL.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  14. ^ a b "2015 Draft Scout Brandon Scherff, Iowa NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  15. ^ Gary Mihoces (April 24, 2015). "NFL Draft prospects: Iowa's Brandon Scherff may be top tackle... Or guard". usatoday.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  16. ^ "Brandon Scherff Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  17. ^ Kalland, Robby (April 30, 2015). "2015 NFL Draft: Redskins get B- for picking Brandon Scherff at No. 5". CBSSports.com.
  18. ^ Keim, John (April 30, 2015). "Total breakdown: Redskins draft OL Brandon Scherff in first round". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  19. ^ "Sportrac.com: Brandon Scherff contract". sportrac.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  20. ^ Patra, Kevin (May 12, 2015). "Redskins ink No. 5 overall pick Brandon Scherff". NFL.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  21. ^ Keim, John (May 14, 2015). "Brandon Scherff's contract breakdown". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  22. ^ Jones, Mike (August 11, 2015). "Redskins mailbag: Whether Brandon Scherff move is really about Morgan Moses, plus RGIII's play and more". Washington Post. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  23. ^ "Ourlads.com: Washington Redskin's depth chart: 09/01/2015". ourlads.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  24. ^ "2015 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  25. ^ "NFL Player Profile: Brandon Scherff". NFL.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  26. ^ "NFL announces 2017 Pro Bowl rosters". NFL.com. December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  27. ^ Martin, Kimberley. "Redskins' Trent Williams, Ryan Kerrigan and Brandon Scherff named to Pro Bowl". Washington Post. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  28. ^ Shook, Nick (April 16, 2018). "Redskins pick up fifth-year option on Brandon Scherff". NFL.com.
  29. ^ Shook, Nick (November 5, 2018). "Roundup: Scherff, Lauvao, Richardson out for year". NFL.com.
  30. ^ "Tress Way, Brandon Scherff Named To 2020 Pro Bowl". Redskins.com. December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  31. ^ Copeland, Kareem (December 17, 2019). "Brandon Scherff goes on injured reserve, ending his season and possibly his time with the Redskins". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  32. ^ "Redskins Make Several Roster Moves". Redskins.com. December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  33. ^ Stackpole, Kyle. "Redskins Place Franchise Tag On Brandon Scherff". Redskins.com. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  34. ^ Patra, Kevin. "Redskins OL Brandon Scherff signs franchise tender". NFL.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  35. ^ "Washington Football Team puts top O-lineman Brandon Scherff on IR with knee injury". ESPN. September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  36. ^ Alper, Josh (October 16, 2020). "Washington activates Brandon Scherff from IR". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  37. ^ Jhabvala, Nicki (December 22, 2020). "Washington's Brandon Scherff, Chase Young voted to Pro Bowl". Washington Post. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  38. ^ Jhabvala, Nicki. "Guard Brandon Scherff is a first-team all-pro, Washington's first since 1996". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  39. ^ Manning, Bryan (August 16, 2021). "Washington's Brandon Scherff lands at No. 98 on NFL Network's Top 100 Players list". Washington Wire. Retrieved August 16, 2021 – via USA Today.
  40. ^ Washington Football Team Public Relations (March 8, 2021). "Washington Places Franchise Tag On Brandon Scherff". WashingtonFootballTeam. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  41. ^ Alper, Josh (March 12, 2021). "Brandon Scherff signs his franchise tender". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  42. ^ Jones, Mike. "Washington Football Team adds All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff to COVID-19 list". USA Today. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  43. ^ "Roundup: Washington activates Brandon Scherff, Daron Payne from reserve/COVID-19 list". NFL.com. August 5, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  44. ^ Keim, John (October 4, 2021). "Washington Football Team Pro Bowl guard Brandon Scherff to miss at least two weeks because of knee injury, source says". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  45. ^ Cadeaux, Ethan (December 20, 2021). "Brandon Scherff placed on reserve/COVID-19 list". NBCSports.com. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  46. ^ Cadeaux, Ethan (December 27, 2021). "WFT activates Scherff, Holcomb from reserve/COVID-19 list". NBCSports.com. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  47. ^ Oehser, John (March 16, 2022). "Official: Scherff agrees to terms". Jaguars.com. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  48. ^ "Zion Lutheran Jamboree this Sunday".
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