2015 NFL Mock Draft: San Francisco 49ers Select OL Brandon Scherff at No. 15

With the No. 15 pick in the DBN 2015 NFL Mock Draft, the San Francisco 49ers select...

Brandon Scherff, OT/OG, Iowa

The selection and write-up were made by Manly and Loving It:

The San Jose 49ers head into the 2015 NFL Draft competing with the Cleveland Browns for most offseason headlines that made fans confuse and terrify their unsuspecting pets with seemingly unprovoked outbursts of frustration and anger.

"I'm sorry for resting peacefully while you surfed the web. It won't happen again"

Since the end of the 2014 season, the 49ers have had their insanely successful, er…wait, I mean successfully insane, head coach Jim Harbaugh "mutually agree to part ways" with the organization, watched him be replaced with Jim Tomsula, who is apparently on a spirited campaign to win a "worst interview of the year" award, and then found out their All-World linebacker Patrick Willis was retiring at the age of 30. But at least they had Chris Borland, right? Coming off a promising rookie campaign, he's no Willis, but with Navarro Bowman returning from injury, they at least have a plan - no wait, Borland quit football too, at the age of 24. Rats.

Where to turn in the first round, then? There isn't an ILB worth taking this high, and they can get someone in the next couple rounds that is talented and wouldn't be a reach. The 49ers also lost wide receivers Michael Crabtree (to free agency), and Stevie Johnson (waived), and replaced them with free agent acquisitions Torrey Smith and Jerome Simpson. That is a definite net loss to the team, but with the top pass catchers off the board, I'm not reaching to fill a need in this important draft for the team. Strong and Perriman were options here, among others, but with all the changes and a new coach, San Jose needs to hit a home run here that they can feel good about after their fans show their frustration by stabbing a parking attendant.

I was originally going to take a defensive end here (oh, that's right, Justin Smith is probably retiring too), but with Armstead surprisingly coming off the board one pick before me, I didn't feel like Malcom Brown was the right fit. I believe that impact players will find a way to make an impact, but I also believe that you don't buy a Tesla if you need a rally car. Asking Brown to play a traditional 5-tech DE role on a 3-4 front is misusing his abilities.

Brandon Scherff , on the other hand, might be BPA at this point. He is almost universally considered to be one of the top two offensive linemen available in this year's draft. Many mocks have him projected as a guard at the next level, and still have him going in the top 10 selections. However, Scherff can play any position on the line, and will probably end up at OG or RT down the road. He is a big, smart player with impressive mobility and power. The only knocks on him are that he might not be well-rounded enough as a pass protector to be an above-average left tackle, and my personal criticism is that he will sometimes tap the brakes once he thinks he has whipped his man, letting them back into the play. He also can be straight-up nasty and pancake fools all over the field, however. Just needs to be a more consistent finisher.

Scherff's position flexibility will be an asset for the 49ers. With LG Mike Lupati leaving for Arizona and uncertainty regarding RG Alex Boone's future, Scherff is a player that can come in and have a Joel Bitonio/Zack Martin type rookie year at guard (those guys were pretty good, is what I'm saying). Depending on his development and the team's needs, Scherff could stay at guard throughout his career or transition to tackle down the road. With Colin Kaepernick at quarterback, the 9ers need their signal caller to have as much time to process information as possible back there.

Scherff won't be a PR homerun with the fanbase on draft night, but he will be a stud on the line for years to come and will help stabilize the unit as one of the team's strengths. The fans will come around after they take DGB in the second round, or after they stab out their frustration, whichever comes first. Seriously, look it up. When someone tells you they got stabbed in the back out here, it's rarely a metaphor. Help me.

I like the versatility that Scherff offers, and I think Manly made the best of this pick for the 49ers. I can't get over how awful of an offseason the 49ers have had, though, so he's right -- this pick won't do anything to get the fans excited. Nothing can at this point.

The Houston Texans are up next, led by troy145.

2015 DBN Community Mock Draft Results (so far)