Houston Texans: 5 small school prospects to monitor at the NFL Combine
By Avery Duncan
Max Scharping, OT, Northern Illinois
2018 stats: 14 games started
Max Scharping is a big human that has a lot of experience playing tackle in the college ranks. At 6-6, 320 pounds, size and length is not a concern and he should test well at the NFL Combine in both. As an added bonus, while at Northern Illinois, Scharping hadn’t missed a start in the four years he played which is impressive considering his position.
Based on his 2017 film, I gave #NIU LT Max Scharping (#73) a top-100 grade and he looks even better as a senior. This clip sums up his performance vs. FSU’s Brian Burns. pic.twitter.com/yGMTMOdx1s
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) September 26, 2018
In 2018, Scharping finished as Pro Football Focus’ best tackle in the MAC conference. He only allowed eight pressures on the year on 469 pass-blocking snaps, which earned him an outstanding pass-blocking grade of 92.2, so he is a player the Houston Texans could be interested in.
While Scharping did well in pass protection in college, he does have some issues (like all tackles), that could be exposed. Benjamin Solak, of Draft Network, narrowed them down, saying;
"Lacks notable athletic traits that likely deep-sixes his future at NFL tackle and may still present problems at guard. Does not have good foot quickness to deal with agile rushers or recover when he’s moved out of position."
Although those aren’t good traits outlined by Solak in his Draft Network article, they are fixable. Like Julie’n Davenport in 2017, Scharping is far from a complete product, but he has the tools and experience that hint that he can be a consistent pass blocker when stepping up to a new level. It’s also nice to know that Scharping has the frame to move over to guard if need be.
Round projection: 4th-6th round