Quenton Nelson wants to be ‘nasty’ like Brandon Scherff

INDIANAPOLIS — Quenton Nelson describes himself as a nasty player. Clean. But nasty.

“I want to dominate all my opponents and take their will away to play the game,” the Notre Dame product said.

Nelson is a 6-foot-5, 325-pound behemoth. At the Scouting Combine on Thursday, he recorded 35 reps of the 225-pound bench press — when the average offensive lineman in 2017 had 26, according to the NFL Network. He also measured an 82-inch wingspan.

By most accounts, Nelson is regarded as the best offensive lineman in this year’s draft.

He is also a guard.

Guards typically aren’t selected within the top 10 of the draft — and the last guard to be drafted that high turned out to be Redskins lineman Brandon Scherff in 2015 with the fifth pick.

Scherff, however, played tackle in college. Former Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan projected him as a tackle before Scherff switched to guard in training camp.

But Scherff developed into one of the league’s top guards — and has a fan in Nelson. Asked about where he learned to play “nasty,” Nelson cited the Redskins guard of a player he tried to model his game after.

“I would say a lot of guys that have been the best players at their position have that characteristic of being nasty,” Nelson said. “Larry Allen and guys in the NFL like Zach Martin, Brandon Scherff, [Kelechi Osemele]. Those are guys that I look up to and want to be like.”

Nelson will almost certainly be gone by the time the Redskins get to select their first pick of the draft at No. 13. At Notre Dame, Nelson was a three-year starter and was named an AP All-American in 2017.

Unlike Scherff, Nelson played solely guard in college. He played tackle in high school, and he said he’s capable of playing any of the five spots on the offensive line. Most teams, however, would select Nelson with the intention of playing him at guard.

Since Scherff was technically listed as a tackle in 2015, the last “pure” guard drafted in the top 10 was Jonathan Cooper, who went seventh in 2014 to the Arizona Cardinals.

Nelson said it doesn’t matter if he’s taken in the top five, though made the case for why he should be.

“I think I should be talked in that regard, the top-five conversation, because you have guys who are dominating the NFL right now in Aaron Donald, Geno Atkins, Fletcher Cox that have just been working on interior guys,” Nelson said. “You need guys to stop them, and I think I’m one of those guys.

“You talk to quarterbacks, and they say if a [defensive end] gets on the edge, that’s fine. They can step up in the pocket and make a throw. A lot of quarterbacks, if given the opportunity, can do that. So that’s what I give is a pocket to step up in, and I think I also help the offense establish the run through my nastiness.”

So where did Nelson, a quiet kid from New Jersey, get his nastiness? You can thank his family. Nelson said he was picked on growing up, being the youngest of four. 

“I had a lot of frustration to take out on the football field,” he said. 

Three teams picking in the top five — the New York Giants, the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos — all have a need to upgrade up front. The Redskins, meanwhile, could use a guard if Spencer Long and Shawn Lauvao depart in free agency.

Regardless of where he ends up, Nelson is ready to be nasty in the NFL. 

“I haven’t really thought about whether I’m the best player in this draft,’ Nelson said, “but I believe I’m the best offensive lineman.”