2015 NFL Draft: Jake Fisher Scouting Report
Jake Fisher is one of the top offensive tackles in this draft class. Per usual, let’s take a look at his athletic testing from February’s combine before diving into his strengths and weaknesses — made possible by Mockdraftable.com of course.
STRENGTHS
The table above shows that Jake Fisher is an elite athlete. His three cone and twenty yard shuttle times were among the best times since 1999, when Mockdraftable starting charting combine results. That means Fisher has top notch agility which shines in his pass protection.
Fisher has very quick feet which allows him to mirror pass rushers with ease. Fisher rarely gets beat on the outside and is disciplined enough as a pass protector to be wary of not giving up a lane for the inside rush. His footwork is near impeccable and he delivers strong, well timed punches without lunging or getting overexcited in the midst of a pass rush. He shows very good recovery ability on his pass sets. Watch Fisher here verse Ohio State (Left tackle, #75).
Fisher’s work as a technician doesn’t stop as a pass protector. In the run game he isn’t overpowering, but he doesn’t need to be. Fisher’s feet and athleticism shine in his run blocking — he fires out of his and gives a good initial pop. He keeps his feet moving through contact and always has phenomenal hand placement on a variety of run blocks; Fisher is always where he needs to be in the run game — he has great spatial awareness in this aspect.
Fisher is a great blocker on screens as well, which is a staple in Oregon’s offense. He uses his athleticism very well in space and easily hunts down linebackers and defensive backs on the second and third level. The experience in the screen game will serve him very well at the next level.
WEAKNESSES
While Fisher is a great athlete, he’s not the strongest offensive tackle you’ll come across. He relies on technique over strength, which isn’t a bad thing, but if he’s going to handle bigger and more physical defensive linemen at the NFL level adding some more functional strength would be ideal. Fisher only put up 25 bench reps at the combine and it translated to the field — he gets pushed around by bigger defensive tackles at times.
This is the only real concern I have with Fisher’s game — and it can be remedied by hard work in an NFL strength and conditioning program.
DRAFT STOCK
Fisher may hear his name called at the the end of the first round, but if he falls to second round he won’t last long.
PLAYER COMPARISON
Anthony Costanzo, Indianapolis Colts (credit to Justis Mosqueda)