Scouting Report: Blake Fisher (OT) - Notre Dame
Sales Pitch: "Long powerful right tackle with plenty of experience at only 21 years old. Below average athleticism and marginal hand placement leads to some struggles in pass protection but has starter qualities with nice upside in a gap scheme."
Athletic Profile
Height: 6’ 5 3/4”
Weight: 310 lbs
Arm Length: 34 3/8”
Hand Size: 10”
40 Yard Dash: 5.20
10 Yard Split: 1.81
Vertical: 28”
Broad Jump: 9’ 6”
Short Shuttle: 4.73
3-Cone: 7.76
Age: 21
Relative Athletic Score: 7.72 / 10.00
Statistics
Career: 9 SK - 6 HIT - 19 HUR - 34 PR - 97.4 EFF - 8 PEN
2023: 3 SK - 3 HIT - 9 HUR - 15 PR - 97.4 EFF - 5 PEN
Strengths
Powerful frame with long arms
21 years old with 2 years of starting experience
Aggressive player who looks for work and finishes reps
Powerful hand strikes to stun defenders
Long arms and good grip strength to control and steer defenders
Creates displacement on drive blocks at the point of attack
Quickly combos up to 2nd level to wipe out LBs
Functional ability to sustain blocks in space
Solid ability to redirect and pick up stunts
Strength and flexibility to absorb contact from power rushers
Weaknesses
Below average athlete
Hand placement is inconsistent, often landing outside defenders pads
Slow to get out to blocks in space
Lacks burst to cut of defenders on zone runs
Lacks foot speed to carry speed rushers up the field
Stops his feet in pass pro when his hands are swiped
Will lose balance when aggressive punches miss
Speed to power will push him back due to high pad level
Summary
Blake Fisher is a long physical tackle with plenty of experience and power. The former 4-Star from Indiana was a multi-year starter for the Irish, playing over 700 snaps at RT in back to back seasons. Fishers has impressive size and length for the position. He has powerful hands that latch onto defenders and steer them out of plays. He is at his most effective on gap scheme runs. Fisher has plus strength and creates significant displacement at the point of attack. He does an excellent job of quickly climbing to the second level off of double teams and washing linebackers out of the play. He is a tough, physical player who will finish his blocks through the whistle. In pass protection Fisher uses his powerful hands and length to take control of reps. He likes to aggressively set and get first contact where he can overwhelm defenders with his size. Fisher’s limitations as a lineman mostly stem from his lack of athleticism. He has average to below average agility and foot quickness, which limits his ability to get out to blocks in space. He is not a good fit for zone running schemes due to marginal ability cut off defenders on horizonal runs. Fisher’s speed limitations also show up in pass pro. He lacks the quickness to mirror speed rushers up the field and he frequently stops his feet to punch which gives quicker players short corners to the quarterback. Fisher has the hand strength and timing to negate that but he must work on his punch placement. He often locates too wide, allowing more experienced rushers to get inside his frame, negating his length and power. Despite his strength and solid flexibility, Fisher can struggle against speed to power and bull rushes when defenders can get inside his frame. He tends to have a high pad level when left on an island which creates issues against rushers who play with good leverage. He must improve his hand work and set points to minimize his athletic deficiencies if he wants to stick as a starter at the next level. Fisher projects as a starting right tackle who best fits in a gap run scheme. While he does have average movement skills, at only 21 years old with plus size and multiple years of starting experience he projects as a starting caliber tackle with good upside.