Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan

Prospect: Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan
By Clint Clearwater
NFL Draft Director and Senior Writer
November 20, 2012
Ht: 6-7 Wt: 305 40: 5.36

Strengths:  Good size.  Shows real strength.  Has a good base.  Long arms and knows how to use his hands to keep defenders off him.  He’s pretty quick and show good agility for such a big guy.  Obviously very athletic. Very solid pass protector; he has a good kick slide and looks natural in pass protection.  Has pretty good awareness.  Tons of potential in him.

Weaknesses:  Needs to be more dominant in the running game.  Often lets linemen under his pad level; he needs to learn to stay low consistently.  He gets caught too high very often and that causes him to lose battles.  Needs to learn to drive opponents rather than just stay locked on them; again, this is because he is too high.  If he learns to get low, keep his feet moving, this would improve his overall game tremendously.  I would like to see him add some more bulk.  Overall consistency could be better.  Missed final two games of last season due to an injury.

Summary: Eric Fisher is a prospect that has been on the rise over the last couple of months.  He stands out as one of the best, if not the best senior offensive tackle in the country.  When I started watching film on him, I noticed two things after watching only one game.  One, he looks like a natural talent when it comes to pass blocking.  He’s got a great kick slide; he’s quick, athletic and uses his long arms to keep defenders away.  With the NFL becoming more and more about passing, this is a huge boast to his draft stock.  The other thing I noticed is that he unfortunately lets defenders get underneath his pad level quite frequently.  This is alarming, but really only shows a lack of technique.  He stands too high when run and pass blocking and that causes him to get beat.  This is poor technique and it won’t work in the NFL.  He’s a big player, but when he gets engaged with a defender that is half his size he will lose every time if he doesn’t learn to stay low.  Fisher is definitely a player who needs to polish his game in order to improve his draft stock, but his potential and his natural skill make him an intriguing prospect.  Right now, I have a 2^nd round grade on him but Fisher definitely has the potential to rise up draft boards this April.

Draft Projection: Top 10

Jan. 12 Update:  Eric Fisher was had a great season.  He has shown all year that he is a truly great pass protector.  Has a quick kick slide, powerful hand punch, good awareness to the blitz and has a great motor.  He still continued to struggle getting low in the running game and driving opponents down the field though and He also needs to stay in control and keep his shoulders square when he gets to the second level.  Throughout his game tape though, I see Fisher as a leader, tenacious fighter and a prospect that has a very high ceiling.

Jan. 25 Update:  Eric Fisher has been dominant here at the Senior Bowl.  Simply dominating the competition and pretty much everybody has taken note of him.  He definitely raised his draft stock and now he looks like a top 10 pick this April.