Video: High School highlights of Taylor Decker Taylor Decker has mentioned more than once how vital his high school days at
Butler (Vandalia, Ohio) were in his development as one of college football's top offensive tackles.
But not just football. His work on the basketball court was also highly beneficial.
The four-year player and three-year starter at Ohio State is projected as a mid-first round pick in this today's NFL draft. Decker told Stephen Czarda of
Redskins.com that his footwork was enhanced greatly by his play on the hardwood.
"Not that defending in basketball is like pass-blocking, but you kind of are mirroring the guy and to be able to react to what any other guy is doing with foot movement," he said.
See high school footage of 25 of the best players in this year's draftAt Butler, Decker was a three-year starter at left tackle and rated the 19th-best at his position in the country by
247Sports. The 4-star recruit had nine offers and picked Ohio State, where he played mainly on special teams as a freshman then started three straight years.
The 6-foot-7, 310-pounder has an arm length of 33 ¾ inches. He put on some much-needed weight in college, according to recruiting expert Tom Lemming, who told MaxPreps after Decker's senior year in high school: "He looks thin at 295 when you meet him in person and on film he shows very good athletic ability, body control and balance. He can redirect quickly, is quick enough to slide outside and cut off fast edge rushers, does a good job of sticking with his blocks until the whistle, and plays a very aggressive game and plays that game on his feet."
The latest
CBS Sports mock draft boards
say Decker could be drafted as high as 15th by the Titans, with two of five experts choosing that scenario. Another says he will go to the Lions at 16th and the other two experts predict that the Seahawks will tab Decker at 26th.
