Brandon Scherff is still one of the league's best.
The Jacksonville Jaguars right guard started all 19 games in his first season with the Jaguars, wearing the captain's patch and setting the tone for the Jaguars' run game. And even if he allowed more sacks than in past years, he did show those in the NFL that he is still one of the best interior offensive linemen in the league.
In a ranking by ESPN of the top-10 guards and centers -- a list that Scherff was ranked No. 3 in 2022 -- Scherff came in at No. 9 this year and as the No. 7 guard overall.
"Last year was odd for Scherff in that he played a full season for the first time since 2016, but he failed to make the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2018," ESPN said.
"But Jacksonville, which signed him to a three-year, $49.5 million deal in free agency, felt his presence. Scherff's 71.8% run block win rate helped Jacksonville improve from 22nd to 14th in rushing offense year over. 'He's still a load against defensive tackles and has the quickness and power to disrupt defenders,' an NFC scout said."
Scherff was one of the Jaguars' top players a year ago, becoming the focal point of their running scheme and showing the rest of the Jaguars' offensive line what it takes to be an All-Pro or a Pro Bowl player.
"Well, I think that like when they see a guy like Brandon, with the pedigree that he has in and they see how hard he works, it sets the standard, like they know, alright, this is what I'm going to have to do," Jaguars offensive line coach Phil Rauscher said this offseason.
"Because I mean, [Cooper Hodges] and Anton [Harrison], they're the best players on their lines where they came from. And they come in and they're fresh, and they're new. And they think they know how to work hard. But then they see a guy who's an all-pro or a pro bowler grinding it out every day, and it puts an expectation level that they know they have to meet. And that's been awesome."
Scherff is the second Jaguar to be ranked in the top-10 after Evan Engram was ranked as the No. 8 tight end. Running back Travis Etienne and linebacker Foyesade Oluokun were honorable mentions and cornerback Tyson Campbell received some top-10 votes, while the Jaguars had no players listed for defensive line, EDGE, or safety.
"As part of ESPN's 2023 NFL season preview, we surveyed league executives, coaches, scouts and players to help us rank the top 10 players at 11 different positions," ESPN said.
"By way of refresher, here's how our process works: Voters give us their best 10 players at a position, then we compile the results and rank candidates based on number of top-10 votes, composite average, along with dozens of interviews, research and film-study help from ESPN NFL analyst Matt Bowen. In total, more than 80 voters submitted a ballot on at least one position, and in many cases all positions. We had several ties, so we broke them with the help of additional voting and follow-up calls with those surveyed."
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