NFL draft profile: Ohio State OT Taylor Decker, a nasty brawler

Shutdown Corner is counting down the top 50 prospects in the 2016 NFL draft with a scouting report, quotes from NFL evaluators and a projection where they might be drafted.

21. Ohio State OT Taylor Decker
6-foot-7, 310 pounds

Key stat: Started 42 games over past three seasons (14 at right tackle, then 28 at left tackle) and was three-time winner of OSU’s “Iron Buckeye” award, given to six players bi-annually who demonstrate “unquestioned physical training dedication, determination, discipline, toughness and leadership.”

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The skinny: In his first college start at left tackle, Decker was undressed for 60 minutes by then-little-known pass rusher Khalil Mack from University of Buffalo, and Buckeyes fans got a bit nervous. But Decker has pretty consistent for most of the past three seasons, and his finest work might have come as the Buckeyes ran behind him frequently in their four-game run to the national title in the 2014 season. Decker did not dominate as much as some expected as a senior, especially after he considered declaring early the year prior. He also did not have a banner NFL combine from a testing perspective, but he consistently has won over evaluators with his interviews, passion for football and the strength, toughness and nastiness with which he plays.

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Best-suited destination: Decker could be a left tackle, left guard or right tackle in a power-based, pro-style offense that huddles up, drives straight ahead and tries to overwhelm teams. In addition to the obvious options such as the Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders, whose lines appear to be in great shape personnel-wise, other teams such as the Los Angeles Rams, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings, especially now that they have hired Tony Sparano to coach their offensive line.

Reason he’ll rise in draft: The top five or six offensive tackles are not expected to last long in this draft, with all of them perhaps even fitting into Round 1. Decker most certainly fits inside that group in our minds, and there is a pocket of about half a dozen teams who will enter the draft with a need at tackle who could be in line to pick him. He possesses three key things — ability, versatility, availability — that coaches and GMs crave when they seek to make good, safe picks in Round 1.

Reason he’ll fall in draft: The drift of some teams toward using more zone-blocking schemes (or a combo of man and zone) perhaps decreases the value of Decker somewhat, as he’s not the most agile mover in space, even if he does have good ability to recover and slide. Michigan State’s Jack Conklin is viewed as the more athletic option (and with longer arms, too), and some zone-based teams might actually have a tackle such as Indiana’s Jason Spriggs or even Texas A&M’s Germain Ifedi rated higher on their boards than Decker because of scheme fit.

Scouting hot take: “Any time [Ohio State] needed tough yards, they ran behind 68 [Decker’s uniform number]. He’s nasty and a tone setter. Our scouts had him with shorter arms, but it’s not obvious on tape.” — AFC offensive coordinator

Player comp: Michael Roos, a workmanlike pro who almost never missed a snap for a decade

Expected draft range: First round

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50. Ohio State WR Braxton Miller
49. Indiana OT Jason Spriggs
48. Florida DL Jonathan Bullard
47. Texas Tech OT Le’Raven Clark
46. Arkansas TE Hunter Henry
45. Oklahoma WR Sterling Shepard
44. Michigan State QB Connor Cook
43. West Virginia S Karl Joseph
42. Michigan State DE-OLB Shilique Calhoun
41. Notre Dame WR Will Fuller
40. Pitt WR Tyler Boyd
39. Oklahoma State DE Emmanuel Ogbah
38. Alabama DE-DT A’Shawn Robinson
37. Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott
36. Memphis QB Paxton Lynch
35. Alabama C Ryan Kelly
34. Louisiana Tech DT Vernon Butler
33. Ole Miss DT Robert Nkemdiche
32. Georgia DE-OLB Leonard Floyd
31. USC S-LB Su’a Cravens
30. Alabama LB Reggie Ragland
29. Mississippi State DT-DE Chris Jones
28. Baylor NT Andrew Billings
27. Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith
26. Houston CB William Jackson III
25. Alabama RB Derrick Henry
24. Ohio State CB Eli Apple
23. Eastern Kentucky DE-OLB Noah Spence
22. Baylor WR Corey Coleman