Ohio State’s Taylor Decker 2016 Scouting Report.
Taylor Decker is an experienced and highly talented offensive tackle prospect. He features good size and top-end athleticism for the position. His body of work shows a consistent and dominant player in college with tons of NFL potential.
Decker has a linear frame with long arms and reach. He uses his arm length to gain inside hands and keep defenders off his frame. His heavy hands pair with the arm length to allow Decker to Velcro to the defender.
This clip shows Decker using his hands and arm length to control the defender at the point of contact:
In pass protection, Decker has the foot speed and change of direction ability to stick at left tackle. He’s a good athlete who can shuffle his feet while maintaining balance. Decker can reach the edge against speed rushers as well as anchor against power players.
He is a natural fit for a zone-blocking scheme because of his athleticism and heavy hands. Decker does a great job engaging the defender and turning them from the play. Ohio State doesn’t often ask him to generate a push off the line, but Decker shows the ability to do so when needed.
This means that he’s a fit for multiple systems thus enhancing his overall draft stock.
One area of concern is that Decker has a tendency to raise his pad level and play a little stiff. He needs to work on keeping his pads down on a more consistent basis. Playing too high would hurt his balance and ability to anchor after contact.
Current Draft Position: 1st Round