The Big, Happy Thread of Eric Fisher

[Direckshun]

In the wake of the Alex Smith trade, the Chiefs are likely in the hunt for a new left tackle to replace the departing Branden Albert (unless Albert signs, in which case our attention will shift to defensive line).

I've already made some effort to familiarize ourselves with draftnik favorite Luke Joeckel in a previous thread as a step towards knowing our options. Other options include Eric Fisher and Lane Johnson.

So this thread will be dedicated to getting to know the one candidate we definitely know the least about, Eric Fisher of Central Michigan.

The first thing to discuss out of the gate, of course, is that Fisher is from a smaller program, and that alone makes him a dark horse at best for the #1 overall selection.

Fisher is #79. Really tall white dude playing LT.



There's a handful of game-long videos like this one on YouTube, so feel free to watch if you're interested in embedding yourself into All Things Fisher.

A few things you'll notice from the game tape once you do watch him:

1. Unlike Joeckel, teams are very comfortable throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Fisher. With but a few exceptions, Fisher vanquishes anything you throw at him. Rotate a defensive tackle over to him? No problem, bull rush is stifled. Blitz a cornerback around the corner? Fisher is fast enough to meet them at the edge and erase them.

2. Like Joeckel, however, there's not a ton on these highlights that's particularly exciting. He doesn't play with a ferocious edge, like more left tackles. He does have outstanding leverage and technique. He really drops his hips against the bull rushes, and though his kick slide is a bit labored, he still gets out to the edge as fast as about anybody. But in the above clip, there's one pancake the entire game, and that's better than almost every other game he plays.

3. It's not particularly obvious how you can beat Fisher other than send more guys than he can handle -- but even that's incredibly difficult because he shows an uncanny ability to block more than one guy. He can push a dude off and neutralize somebody else, and there's actually a play in the tape above where he blocks two guys with one push.

4. This is another lockdown blocker. He's got a good reach and once he squares you up in either pass or runblocking, it's over.

5. He needs to get a ton better at chopblocking. That's not a particularly hard skill to learn, but good lord he's currently terrible at it.

6. The Chippewas (team mascot) send him downfield to block with some frequency, and he always finds his mark and neutralizes them. He dissects where his block needs to go decisively.

7. He is extraordinarily quick in small spaces. He doesn't plow the way but he is an effective runblocker with very fast feet. (You could see his fast feet on display at the Combine.)

8. His ability to work with teammates is pretty strong, and he's never really fooled by blitzes, stunts, or anything like that. Evidence of a smart lineman.



As for his measureables:

Fisher played all four seasons. In 2012, he allowed 1 sack total. He didn't end up on anybody's Elite Prospect Radar until he beat the shit out of his opponents at the Senior Bowl, which apparently he was able to do because he looked up their names ahead of time and studied them on YouTube. Coaches claim he's a film rat and perfectionist. They say he "sets a tone" by working really hard, but there's no real mention of him being a leader, nor does he really come across like one. He just seems, personality-wise, that your typical smart tackle.

He's 6'7", 306 lbs. His arms are fairly long, at 34+". At the Combine, he benched 27 reps, which is merely not bad. He will need some time in an NFL strength and conditioning program.

Fisher seems like a little more of a natural fit for the Chiefs zone blocking scheme because of his quickness and sheer speed, which on both fronts he has Luke Joeckel beat handily. He ran a 5.03 40-yard dash, with a 10-yard split of 1.70, which was I think the 7th or 8th best at the Combine. He's athletic, is what I'm trying to say.

I reject what most people say about Fisher, which is that he's a "project with high upside." I honestly think they are saying that just because he's from a small program. Don't believe it -- his technique is surprisingly polished and his footwork is NFL caliber now. This is a guy you can plug in on Day One at LT. He's not a boom/bust guy. He's a rare known quantity from a small program.



Interesting factoid: he's got good size, he's not a true mauler, and he's really quick -- so I'd compare him to Joe Staley, who is also a left tackle (49ers), who is also the only Central Michigan Chippewa in the NFL who's been selected in the first round. So there's that.

[TimBone]

Because we are the Chiefs