Prospect Profile: OT Eric Fisher - Central Michigan

Central Michigan Profile:

Name:  Eric Fisher
Height:  6' - 7"
Weight:  305 lbs.
Class:  Senior
Hometown:  Rochester, MI
Date of Birth:  1/5/1991 (22 years old)
High School:  Stoney Creek HS





Season Summaries:

2012 Sr. Year:  First Team All-MAC selection by Coaches and Media.  Started all 12 games at Left Tackle.  2nd Team All-American by Sports Illustrated and 3rd Team All-American by the Associated Press.  Also named Offensive Upfront Co-Player of the year by Team.  CMU offense averaged 6.2 yd/play and only gave up 14 sacks in MAC play.

2011 Jr. Year:  3rd Team All-MAC selection.  Selected Offensive Upfront Co-Player of the year by Team.  Started first 10 games at Left Tackle but missed last two with injury.  Offensive Line allowed just 17 sacks all season.

2010 So. Year:  Made four starts at Right Tackle, two at Right Guard and three at Left Tackle.

2009 Fr. Year:  Appeared in eight games total and had two starts at Left Tackle as a true freshman.  Name CMU Program's Future Ace Award Recipient.

2012 Senior Year Highlights (#79 Left Tackle):

Full CMU Offense vs. Iowa Defense Game Film:

2013 Senior Bowl Practice Day 1 - OL/DL One on Ones start at about 22:40

Positives (+):
+ Outstanding frame with great length, a legit 6'-7" with 34" arms, 82"+ wingspan and huge 10 3/8" hands, weighs in at an athletic 305 lbs. with room to grow to help anchor
+ Athletic, also played high school basketball, and his movement skills show it
+ Patient pass blocker, does not lunge or over-react
+ Maintains base in pass pro, great feet, constantly shifting his lower body for better position
+ Heady kid, Mechanical Engineering Major, not confused by stunts, apparently, Fisher studied extensive amounts of film on the DL he was going to face before arriving at the Senior Bowl, it showed
+ Very active and quick in space, pulls well, sticks to his downfield blocks effectively
+ Not lazy on the backside, gets to the outside knee, and can quickly flip his body around in position

Negatives (-):
- Could stand to add strength to his upper body, sometimes ineffective in the run game
- Concerns about level of competition in the MAC his senior year, not exactly the SEC (Joeckel)
- 34" arm length not fully elite, but still good, could play Right Tackle early in his NFL career
- Like most kids his size, can be susceptible to the bull rush if set up properly, probably needs to add another 15 to 20 lbs. to help withstand the much more explosive DEs in the NFL

NFL Analysis:
Fisher obviously has all the measurables a team could want for a franchise Left Tackle.  His overall game is very strong, and he is excellent in Pass Pro.  The work he put in at the 2013 Senior Bowl has propelled him into Top 10 consideration, and rightfully so with Taylor Lewan and Jake Matthews opting out of the 2013 Draft.  Teams such as Arizona, Philadelphia, Arizona and perhaps Miami (should Jake Long not be resigned) should be considering OT help in the 1st Round.  It will be interesting to see how he grades out after the Combine and what his projections will be.  Seems likely he'll go in the Top 10, if not, Top 5.

Outlook as a Raider:
Fisher is clearly in the mix for Oakland at No. 3 Overall.  While a pass rusher or a solid defensive tackle are the immediate NEEDS for the Raiders with Kelly/Seymour and perhaps Desmond Bryant all in the mix for moving on, the Best Player Scenario presented by Reggie McKenzie would lead one to believe that if available, Fisher could fill that void.  Jared Veldheer has manned the blind side for Oakland the past three seasons, and has done it extremely well for a 3rd Round DII prospect.  Veldheer and Fisher (if selected) would make for an excellent pair of bookend OTs to help protect whichever QB is leading the Raiders for the time being and the foreseeable future.  The likely scenario, if Reggie is indeed looking to improve the OL, and provided the Geno Smith "hype" is all just a ploy, would be a Chiefs pick of Luke Joeckel and a Jags pick of Damontre Moore, Bjoern Werner and or Geno Smith...leaving Fisher at No. 3.  While the Raiders would indeed love to have Fisher, the excellent week the young man put in at the Senior Bowl makes him an ideal candidate for teams to trade up for at the No. 3 position.  With new regimes in Kansas City, Jacksonville and Oakland...they all will likely be looking to trade down to help build their new identities.  There could be three trade downs in the first 3 picks, or there could be none, either way Fisher would bring value to Oakland as a solid offensive lineman, or a pawn to trade down with.