HOUSTON – Blake Fisher became the youngest player in Notre Dame football history to start a game as a true freshman.
That isn’t necessarily the trajectory the Texans second-round draft pick is on as an NFL rookie, though.
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Fisher is slated to be the swing tackle, backing up Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and veteran right tackle Tytus Howard.
For now, Fisher is gaining valuable experience working with the first-team offense at left tackle as Tunsil is being worked back into football drills after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery this offseason. Tunsil is fully healthy and shouldn’t be out long as the Texans ease him back into practice.
“With Blake I’ve seen a guy whose been versatile,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “If you can play left and right tackle it helps, especially if you are our third tackle you never know what may happen on gameday as you saw with our offensive line last year.
“We had a lot of guys in a lot of different places, so for Blake having that versatility and being able to play on the right side and also move over to the left is only going to strengthen our offensive line group and it’s only going to help our team with what he’s been able to do.”
Fisher is signed to a four-year $6.595 million contract that includes a $1.616 million signing bonus, per a league source.
The contract includes $3.562 million guaranteed, 54.01 percent of the deal, with fully guaranteed base salaries of $795,000 and $1.094 million in 2024 and 2025 and $55,784 guaranteed for skill, injury and salary cap in 2026 of his $1.394 million salary. He’s due a $1.694 million base salary in 2027.
Fisher was drafted in the second round with the 59th overall pick with the intention to provide quality depth and an insurance policy behind Tunsil and Howard.
“Just coming in and gaining the respect, the trust and the dependability of my teammates,” Fisher said of his goals. “From there, just learning from Tytus and Laremy and the other guys within guard and center. Then, obviously also of my coaches. Laremy, everyone knows him. He is a specialist when it comes to pass protection. He is dominant. He is long. He is physical and same goes for Tytus.
“Real powerful, strong, strong hands. Square in both of their sets. They have versatility in different sets that they take within their game. Smart players and they help others around them. They are two really good guys that I can come in and learn from and obviously get better from because they’ve been doing it for quite some time.”
Fisher (6-foot-6, 310 pounds, 34 3/8 arms, 10-inch hands) ran the 40-yard dash in 5.2 seconds at the NFL scouting combine with a 28-inch vertical leap and a 9-6 broad jump.
He started 12 games at right tackle last season, opting out of the Sun Bowl to get ready for the draft.
He started as a freshman for the Fighting Irish.
“I would say I’m a physical run blocker and I play with tight hands,” Fisher said. “Just the way I’m able to get my toes on a defensive lineman and just my explosiveness and the power I bring in my lower body. In pass protection, I would just say the ability to have multiple sets and then be able to give defenders different things with my hands. I think I’m a smart physical player with a high IQ. See a lot of different things on the field which in essence helps the guys next to me.”
Fisher is a converted left tackle who started every game at right tackle the past two seasons.
Fisher was projected as a second-round to third-round draft target.
“Yeah, we feel good about Blake and adding him to our team,” Ryans said. “He did a good job there at Notre Dame, and we feel like he can add to what we’re doing here, add to the competition of our offensive line room. We’ll continue to see him progress and move forward.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.