With the overall No. 16 pick, the Detroit Lions selected offensive tackle Taylor Decker out of Ohio State. Decker has been described as nasty by more than a few outlets, and is hoping to bring that same energy at the next level.
Lions add offensive tackle Taylor Decker with the No. 16 pick
The Lions shored up the offensive line by adding Decker to protect Matthew Stafford.
The Lions could use the boost, as quarterback Matthew Stafford has often been hit and was sacked 44 times in 2015, the sixth-most in the NFL.
Decker spent four years making the quarterbacks and running backs for Ohio State look good. It wasn't until the last snap of his collegiate career that Decker looked toward the NFL, first making noise at the Senior Bowl, then the NFL Combine, only to wrap up his "Path to the Draft" with an impressive pro day performance in front of scouts.
Draft Twitter had Decker pegged as an early first-round pick right out of the gate, and his workouts and position drills only strengthened the argument. Our own Stephen White isn’t quite sold on Decker being worth the first-round risk, but learned to like him as a legit prospect after watching some of his senior game tape.
“I didn’t see anybody really give Decker the business in those three ... games. I’m talking noooobody. He was almost Ronnie Stanley-esque, especially with his pass blocking.”
Despite his inability to get low, which at 6’7 isn’t all that surprising, he’s been able to win at the line and hasn’t let what some consider a bad habit to limit his effectiveness. Decker himself knows there are limitations with his height, but also some benefit, as he described at the combine.
"I'd say one con is it's harder to get low. Football is a game of leverage and you have to bend more to get lower and have some more flexibility. It's not something I've struggled with mightily. At the same time, generally you're going to have longer limbs so you can have more leverage to keep guys from your chest and your body.
Among many of the positive attributes used to describe Decker during the draft process, one recurring theme was surmised best by Music City Miracles: "Mean dude with a nasty streak."
The tackle spent the offseason training with OL-whisperer, and former Buckeye, LeCharles Bentley in Arizona, focusing on technique and fundamentals. There's been some question as to where Decker's new team might use him: left tackle, left guard, maybe right tackle?
He spoke at the NFL Combine about his versatility, “Of course, I would want to be a left tackle. At the end of the day, I just want to play football. So if a team asked me to play another position, absolutely I would. I want to be an asset to whatever team I go to.”
One of the bigger concerns with Decker’s game heading into the league, is his comfort level with zone blocking. He noted that while it’s not something he did a lot of at Ohio State, he feels comfortable picking up whatever he may need to excel at the next level.
“We had what we considered our zone schemes in college but they weren’t true zone schemes. But I’m definitely confident I can do whatever is asked of me. We ran a lot of different schemes, had me pulling a lot, single blocks, combo blocks. At the end of the day, if it’s something I haven’t done, I’m going to learn to do it and will do it well.”
With the wait of getting called up to the next level over, Decker can finally get to work and make his way into the starting role he so greatly covets.
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