In our continued look at OT prospects, today brings us Boston College's Gosder Cherilus. A four year starter who projects as a right tackle at the pro level.
Depending on which site you trust, Cherilus is ranked anywhere from third to tenth among offensive tackles, but most have him around fifth. He is the highest rated tackle though that is considered primarily a right tackle. Mocks have him going anywhere from the middle of the first round to the top of the second. Cherilus started three seasons (37 games) at right tackle before switching to left tackle for his senior season. His 51 consecutive starts set a new record at Boston College and during his last two seasons he registered 156 knockdown blocks, along with 22 touchdown-resulting blocks. He is another tackle who is considered a mauler in the running game but struggles mightily against speed rushers especially from the left side. Even though he didn't perform very well on the bench at the combine, Cherilus has raw power and long arms that neutralize defenders once he locks on. He's an intelligent player who takes pride in his leadership role.
Cherilus should be able to anchor the right side of
someone's OL for the next decade.
Cherilus struggled his senior season with the switch to left tackle and ended the season allowing 5.5 sacks and four pressures (it's worth mentioning though that BC threw the ball 659 times last year). He also struggled with penalties collecting seven throughout the season and four in one game (ND). Even though he has great timed speed (top perfomer among OL in forty), he lacks initial quickness and his hips are too stiff to mirror speed rushers off the edge.
Gosder Cherilus isn't the kind of player that makes scouts drool or defensive players lose sleep at night, but he is a solid player who should have a long career in the NFL. He's the type of prospect who often gets overlooked because he doesn't have the `high ceiling' label but he is considered by most to be `low risk.' He should be able to step in a right tackle early in his career and be an asset to his franchise from day one. So what do you guys think of Cherilus and would you be excited if the Steelers took him in the first?