The Case for 28- Jake Fisher
Next up is OT Jake Fisher. You won't see him listed in the first round in too many mocks, but he's one of my favorite players in this draft. I think that we might look back 4 years from now and see that Jake Fisher was the best tackle of the bunch. The former high school tight end was converted to tackle his freshman season at Oregon. He spent his first 3 years playing right tackle, and was moved to the left side for his senior year. Fisher has the frame to add 10-15 more pounds for the pro game, but his strength was run blocking in his time at Oregon. He plays with a high motor and nasty disposition. His athletic ability is unquestioned.
Fisher blew up the combine. He measured 6'6 306, with an 82 inch wingspan. The 20 yard short shuttle is probably the best predictor of future success for offensive lineman. Jake had the 3rd best 20 yard short shuttle time for an offensive lineman in the last 15 years. He had the best 3 cone time among all offensive lineman, he tied for the 2nd best 10 yard split, had a 32.5 inch vertical jump, and posted the 2nd fastest 40 time. Keep in mind, this is all at 306. Fisher played his senior season at 299. I'd love to see this kid in Kubiak's zone blocking scheme.
How important was he to his offensive line? In the 13 games in which he played, the Ducks allowed 19 sacks. In the 2 games he missed, they allowed 12. His offensive line coach compares him to his former teammate who he also coached, Kyle Long. Long was drafted 2 years ago by the Bears and has made the pro bowl both seasons.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...o-nfl-starters"Jake emulates Kyle in a lot of ways, especially when it comes to a tough attitude. Jake's been in the system a bit longer, so I think he's a bit more polished than Kyle was as far as fundamentals," Greatwood said. "Jake is still growing as a player, too. He's a true senior and didn't have that redshirt year. He's athletic and could carry a lot more weight, maybe 20 pounds, and not lose anything."
How is his attitude? It's exactly what you want out of your offensive lineman.
Just as important was the snarl Fisher unleashed behind his facemask. He is not only big, 6 feet 6 and 300 pounds, he is ornery. Fisher was a little rusty in his return against UCLA, but he led the team in barking at the Bruins.
"Jake is a dog. ... I like it when he's mad," running back Byron Marshall said.
Said Johnstone: "He's not a win-one-for-the-Gipper guy. He doesn't give speeches. He's just a mean guy. He wants to go out there and mess people up, obviously in a legal way. He's not going to do anything cheap."http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-...31-column.htmlFisher describes his attributes as "confidence, a streak of meanness and an attitude that we're going to smash heads and we're going to have fun doing it."
Fisher is a franchise tackle in the making. He's not the best overall tackle in this draft right now. Still, I think he's the best fit for Denver's zone blocking scheme, and he may be one of the best in the league in 2-3 years. This kid has nothing but upside, talent, character, and grit. He loves the game, and loves to smash people. He's my kind of lineman.
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Originally Posted by Lancane
