NFL position rankings: Brandon Scherff, Cam Erving lead weak interior OL group

Thank goodness for some college tackles who project inside in the pros. The 2015 NFL draft class of guards and centers looks weak on paper, but it gets a slight boost because of a few expected conversions in the NFL.

Florida State’s Cameron Erving looked like a solid, but unspectacular left tackle in college. He boosted his stock immensely by switching seamlessly to center midseason last season, a move that helped kick-start the Seminoles’ run game and pass protections. It also made Erving the best pivot prospect in an otherwise unremarkable group.

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Iowa’s Brandon Scherff played left tackle in college, and as we noted in our Shutdown Corner offensive tackle rankings, it’s a position he could play in the NFL, too. But his best spot might be inside, where he can use his exceptional strength to become an All-Pro guard, with great run-blocking talent.

After that, there are questions.

Donovan Smith looks the part, and he was a college tackle at Penn State, as well. But NFL edge speed might give him trouble, so Smith might be asked to move to guard (where we’re projecting him) to better take advantage of his mass in short areas.

Two true college guards — South Carolina’s A.J. Cann and Duke’s Laken Tomlinson — have the makeup to be solid pros, and their college experience will make them safe draft picks.

Another college left tackle, Hobart’s Ali Marpet is this year’s mystery man, although his remarkably strong showing at the Senior Bowl has many teams believing he’s worth a top-75 selection as a center because of his smarts and versatility.

The talent drops off after that precipitously, making it one of the thinner interior allotments in recent draft years. Here are our top 10 interior offensive linemen (guards and centers):

Ranking	Player	School	Height	Weight	Notable statistic	Scouting skinny
1	OG-OT Brandon Scherff	Iowa	6-4	319	Can hang clean 480 lbs.; bench-pressed 225 lbs. 23 times	Outstanding run blocker who lives in weight room, has skills to be great
2	C-OG-OT Cameron Erving	Florida State	6-5	313	9 starts at left tackle, 5 at center in 2014	Coverted DT, converted LT did great job at C; extremely clean prospect
3	OG-OT Donovan Smith	Penn State	6-5	338	32-inch vertical leap led all offensive linemen at combine	Raw, massive-framed golem who could be great but has underachieved
4	OG A.J. Cann	South Carolina	6-3	313	Started all but one game (coach's decision) past 4 years	Durable, tough, well-respected anchor blocker handled SEC's best
5	OG Laken Tomlinson	Duke	6-3	323	Started all 52 games in his career	Wide-based power blocker with exceptional smarts, toughness, character
6	C-OG Ali Marpet	Hobart College	6-4	307	37 starts at left tackle; two-time team captain	Big fish in small pond with toughness, skill, drive to succeed inside
7	OG Tre Jackson	Florida State	6-4	330	Started 42 games at right guard in career	Strong, wide-bodied mauler who boosted his stock at Senior Bowl
8	C Hroniss Grasu	Oregon	6-3	297	40-game college starter who was excused from combine workouts	Strong, smart, athletic center who gets mental part of game and can move
9	OG John Miller	Louisville	6-2	303	Started 45 games at guard, missing only three with injury	Short, long-armed, strong, stiff guard who could be good run blocker
10	OG-OT Josue Matias	Florida State	6-5	309	Started all 41 games at left tackle past three seasons	Long, slow-footed, unathletic, tough guard who must overcome limitations

SLEEPER
Kansas State C B.J. Finney

The knock on Finney is that he’s not a special athlete (nearly 30 percent body fat at the NFL scouting combine) with short arms, and he might always have limitations when it comes to reach blocking quick defensive tackles and getting out to the second level in the run game. But for teams seeking a smart, dependable, tough, respected center, Finney could be a bargain in the middle to late rounds. He started all 52 games in college (the past 51 at center), never missing one to injury, and can lock horns effectively with big nose tackles and hold his own. We believe Finney is a starting-caliber player despite his limitations. He’s similar, style-wise, to former Chicago Bears center Roberto Garza.

 

OVERRATED
Matias

Early in his career, it appeared this former freshman starter might be an NFL high-round pick. But over the past three seasons, his warts have become bigger. He’s a limited athlete despite good mass and reach, and he doesn’t play with the power you’d expect. Those athletic limitations showed up during a poor combine workout, and Matias is said to be slow to process information on the field, despite starting more than 40 games at a high-level program in a pro-style offense.

SMALL-SCHOOL WONDER
Marpet

Hobart College hasn’t had a player drafted since the 1930s, but Marpet will end the streak and could go as high as the second round. He arrived at the Senior Bowl a relative unknown but left having made a name for himself, more than holding his own in one-on-one battles in practice and showing good versatility as a tackle, guard and even center, which he took a few reps at. Marpet’s smarts, feistiness and temperament could make him a highly sought player on draft weekend.

COULD RISE IN DRAFT
Smith

They don’t look much better getting off the bus than the massive Smith, and there are not many men his size who can register a 32-inch vertical jump, yet he’s an enigma on the field. There are times, such as against Ohio State and in the bowl game against Boston College, where Smith dominated; but there were other times when he appeared slow to deal with speed and looked too passive. They don’t make men this big with this type of athleticism, and amid a weak group of guards, expect some team to draft Smith and project him inside based on his massive upside.

LATE-ROUND STEAL
Florida State OG Bobby Hart

One of the least publicized members of the Seminoles' insanely talented offensive line played right tackle and had his share of struggles (such as the Oregon game — yuck), but Hart is a young player worth investing in and kicking inside to guard, where he’d be a more natural fit. As a 21-year-old rookie, he’ll have plenty of room to grow as a player, and working at guard will allow him to use his good base strength to be a factor in the run game without putting him on an island as a pass protector. The FSU coaches praised Hart’s commitment to the game, and he could be a player who develops nicely in time for the right NFL team that exhibits patience in grooming him.

PLAYER WHO WILL GO UNDRAFTED BUT SHOULDN’T
Georgia Tech OG Shaq Mason

Mason isn’t all that pretty a physical specimen, has to overcome his sub-par height (6-1) and arm length and he has cut his teeth in a triple-option offense with blocking techniques and angles that don’t translate easily to the pro game. But Mason turned in a gritty effort at the Senior Bowl, worked at center and has enough vinegar in his veins to find a way to make it. He is also smart, determined and fairly athletic to find a home as an interior reserve and perhaps a spot starter in a zone-based scheme.

IDEAL FIT
Scherff to the Giants

The Giants have a few talented players on their line, but all the pieces might not fit ideally. Do they need a guard? A tackle? They might need both. So why not draft Scherff, who can play both, and just ID the five best offensive linemen in camp? He could be a rock star inside — this generation’s Chris Snee, perhaps — and be a nice fit playing on the hip of second-year center Weston Richburg.

Related NFL draft video from Yahoo Sports:

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm

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