Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz talked with ESPN about new Washington Redskins offensive lineman Brandon Scherff, whom he watched grow from a redshirt freshman to a senior All-American.
Check out these photos of Universtiy of Iowa offensive lineman Brandon Scherff, the Redskins' fifth-overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Kirk Ferentz saw first-hand for four seasons how good of a player Brandon Scherff can be.
The longtime Iowa football coach was there when Scherff was a redshirt freshman in 2010, and was behind the 6-foot-5, 319 pounder when he given the Outland Trophy – an award given to the nation's top offensive lineman.
But while Scherff's performances on the football field seemed like they simply grew overnight, it took a lot of work to get where he is now.
So when Ferentz showed video of the offensive lineman being beaten by former University of Michigan and current Tennessee Titans defensive end Mike Martin, it wasn't a means to embarrass him in front of his teammates.
It was to show how far he's come.
"I made a point to show our team that so they knew the guy who won the Outland Trophy wasn't born on third base," Ferentz said in an article by ESPN’s John Keim. "He worked to get there. He went through hard times. He got educated a little bit in 2011. But it's his attitude. It's all about playing his absolute best. All about practice. That's something he ingrained in his mentality. ...Most players have to work hard to become really good and he's done that."
While Scherff has already added quite a lot of accomplishments to his resume this year – being a unanimous consensus All-American, honored with the Outland Trophy and, of course, selected by the Redskins with the No. 5-overall pick – Ferentz said he'll continue to work hard in the NFL.
It's all he knows when on the football field.
"The unique thing about him is going through the process and winning the Outland and being such a high pick with the Redskins, the neat part is he's one of those stories of a guy who really earned it and is getting it," he said. "You can't predict a lot of things, but you will get the real deal from him every time."
Scherff will likely start out working at right tackle for the Redskins, but also has the ability to play guard and maybe even center as well.
Some consider him to have the potential to be an All-Pro at any position he's playing.
Whether that comes true or not remains to be seen, but Ferentz at the very least considers his former captain "a good all-around player."
"The nature of the draft is that everyone shoots holes in them: 'Their arms are a quarter inch too short.' To me the game is still for an offensive linemen about blocking the guy you're assigned to block," he explained. "That starts with determination. You have to have the requisite abilities and then you have to be a determined and hard-minded guy to get that done. ...Brandon will do just fine."
RELATED LINKS:
-- 5 Takeaways: Jay Gruden's First-Round Presser
-- Nine Things You Should Know About Scherff's Hunting And Fishing
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