Taylor Decker

Taylor Decker (born August 23, 1993) is an American football offensive tackle for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State.

Taylor Decker
Decker in 2019
No. 68 – Detroit Lions
Position:Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1993-08-23) August 23, 1993
Vandalia, Ohio
Height:6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight:318 lb (144 kg)
Career information
High school:Vandalia (OH) Butler
College:Ohio State
NFL Draft:2016 / Round: 1 / Pick: 16
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Games played:70
Games started:70
Receptions:1
Receiving yards:11
Receiving touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Early years

Decker attended Butler High School in Vandalia, Ohio. He was a three-year starter for the football team at the left tackle position. He was rated by Rivals.com as a four-star recruit and was ranked as the 23rd best offensive tackle in his class.[1] He originally committed to the University of Notre Dame to play college football but changed to Ohio State University.[2] In addition to football, Decker played basketball in high school.[3]

College career

Decker played in all 12 games as a true freshman in the 2012 season. He played mostly special teams, but played 22 snaps on offense. Decker took over as a starter his sophomore season in the 2013 season, starting all 14 games at the right tackle position.[4] Decker moved from right tackle to left tackle his junior year in 2014 and was the Buckeyes only returning starter on the offensive line.[5][6] He started all 15 games, including the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship victory over Oregon.[7][8]

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 7 in
(2.01 m)		 310 lb
(141 kg)		 33 3⁄4 in
(0.86 m)		 10 in
(0.25 m)		 5.23 s 1.81 s 3.02 s 4.76 s 7.70 s 29 in
(0.74 m)		 8 ft 5 in
(2.57 m)		 22 reps
All values from NFL Combine and Pro Day[9]

Decker was drafted in the first round with the 16th overall pick by the Detroit Lions in the 2016 NFL Draft.[10]

On May 6, 2016, the Detroit Lions signed Decker to a fully guaranteed four-year, $10.96 million contract with a signing bonus of $6.17 million.[11] Decker started all 16 games at the left tackle position in his rookie season and was the only player besides quarterback Matthew Stafford to play every snap on offense for the Lions. Decker was named the Lions Rookie of the Year for 2016 in voting by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.

On June 6, 2017, it was revealed that Decker had undergone shoulder surgery, and was ruled out for four to six months.[12] He was placed on the physically unable to perform list to start the 2017 season.[13] He was activated off PUP on November 11, 2017,[14] and started the final eight games of the season at left tackle.

On December 2, 2018, Decker caught a touchdown pass from Lions Quarterback Matthew Stafford, when celebrating for the touchdown he threw the football into the stands. After the game Decker tweeted that this touchdown was his first touchdown ever, and he had been playing football since the first grade,[15] and requested that he could get in contact with the fan who caught it. On December 3, 2018 Decker was put in contact with the fan that caught it and got his first ever touchdown ball back.[16][17]

On April 29, 2019, the Lions exercised the fifth-year option on Decker's contract.[18]

On September 1, 2020, Decker signed a five-year, $70.35 million contract extension with the Lions.[19]

References
  1. "Taylor Decker".
  2. "Vandalia Butler tackle Decker commits to OSU".
  3. "Notre Dame basketball: Basketball helped Irish line recruit Decker". schurz-southbendtribune.
  4. "No. 19, Taylor Decker: Ranking the best Ohio State Buckeyes of 2013". cleveland.com.
  5. Bill Rabinowitz. "Ohio State football: Taylor Decker grabs leadership role". Buckeye Xtra Sports.
  6. "New guys, same attitude: Coach Ed Warinner, returning starter Taylor Decker must retain Ohio State's offensive line warrior culture". cleveland.com.
  7. "Ohio State football: OT Taylor Decker's story told through his tattoos – 'Nobody wants to be average'". cleveland.com.
  8. "Taylor Decker's return crucial for Ohio State Buckeyes in 2015 – Big Ten Blog- ESPN". ESPN.com.
  9. "Taylor Decker – Ohio State, OT : 2016 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile".
  10. Twentyman, Tim (April 29, 2016). "Detroit Lions draft tackle Taylor Decker". Detroit Lions. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  11. "Breaking down Taylor Decker's 10.9 million rookie contract". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  12. Patra, Kevin. "Taylor Decker undergoes shoulder surgery". NFL. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  13. "Lions establish 53-man roster". DetroitLions.com. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017.
  14. "Lions activate T Taylor Decker and T Corey Robinson". DetroitLions.com. November 11, 2017.
  15. Decker, Taylor (December 2, 2018). "To whoever caught/has the ball I threw into the stands. I've played football since first grade, and that was my first ever touchdown. I'd love to have that ball, and would be more than happy to hook you up if you'd be willing. #defendtheden #bigmantouchdown". @__taylordecker. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  16. Decker, Taylor (December 3, 2018). "I HAVE FOUND HIM!!!!!!! AND HE IS BEING GREAT ABOUT IT #socialmediastrikesagain". @__taylordecker. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  17. "Taylor Decker's mic'd up moment shows a rare O-Lineman touchdown". mlive.com. December 6, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  18. "Lions exercise fifth-year option for T Taylor Decker". DetroitLions.com. April 29, 2019.
  19. Shook, Nick (September 1, 2020). "Lions sign LT Taylor Decker to multi-year extension". NFL.com.
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