Patriots draft profile: Blake Fisher is the other Notre Dame tackle to keep an eye on

The Notre Dame tackle projects as a mid-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

With the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft approaching fast, most eyes are on the top prospects slated to come off the board early on Thursday night. Among those is Joe Alt, an offensive tackle out of Notre Dame projected as a top-10 selection.

The New England Patriots, who have a hole to fill at the left tackle spot, might be a potential landing spot for Alt in case they trade down from their third overall spot. If they opt against such a move, thus missing out on the top tackle in the class, they might shift their attention to one of Alt’s teammates in hopes of addressing the need.

Hard facts

Name: Blake Fisher

Position: Offensive tackle

School: Notre Dame

Opening day age: 21 (3/25/2003)

Measurements: 6’5 3/4”, 310 lbs, 83” wingspan, 34 3/8” arm length, 10” hand size, 5.20s 40-yard dash, 4.73s short shuttle, 7.76s 3-cone drill, 28” vertical jump, 9’6” broad jump, 22 bench press reps, 7.72 Relative Athletic Score

Experience

Career statistics: 27 games (27 starts) | 1,712 offensive snaps, 146 special teams snaps | 34 quarterback pressures surrendered (9 sacks, 6 hits, 19 hurries)

Accolades: N/A

A two-time All-State selection during his time at Avon High School in his Indiana hometown, Fisher was a four-star recruit coming out. He received offers from multiple high-profile schools but eventually decided to join Notre Dame as part of the same class that also included fellow offensive tackle Joe Alt.

He went on to win the left tackle job as a true freshman, but suffered a knee injury in his first game — opening the door for Alt to take over and build a first-round résumé. Fisher, meanwhile, returned from his injury as a right tackle. He went on to hold down the fort at that position for the rest of his college career before deciding to forgo his final two years of eligibility to enter the draft.

In total, he left South Bend with 27 starts under his belt: the first at left tackle, with the other 26 on the right side. Fisher was invited to the Scouting Combine.

Draft profile

Expected round: 3-4 | Consensus big board: No. 89 | Patriots meeting: Pro day + 30 visit

Strengths: While lacking the height/weight combination of his former teammate Joe Alt, Fisher still is a well-built offensive tackle prospect who has the size and length to succeed at the next level. He has a sturdy base and knows how to anchor down, combining lower-body flexibility with a generally sound pad level. He also seems to have a plan in mind for whatever edge rushers throw at him in pass protection, showing he can react to defensive line games and reset even if put in a challenging position early on.

Fisher also plays with the desire strength, power and physical edge in the running game. He possesses some good burst to initiate contact, and also has adequate movement skills to get to the second level or work on pull blocks and in the screen game. He is a finisher who is looking to stay engaged on his blocks until the whistle is blown, doing a good job using his solidly-sized hands to maintain his grip.

Weaknesses: Fisher is a solid baseline athlete but does not have any standout traits. His speed to get to his landmarks as a puller or zone blocker, for example, is adequate but nothing to write home about, which can lead to issues with angles and leverage against NFL-level competition. Part of the issue might be his get-off — he needs to get better at timing the snap — and some underdeveloped footwork that allows doors to open and puts him in challenging recovery situations (which in turn might lead to holding penalties).

Tied to this is his balance and contact control. He has shown he can keep his pads low and play with good leverage, but his inconsistency in this area has led to him ending up on the ground at times.

Patriots preview

What would be his role? Fisher spent virtually all of his college career on the right side, but he has the size and foundation — both athletically and technically — to make the move to the left tackle spot he was originally recruited to play at Notre Dame. Whether he can be a Day 1 starter is a different question, though; the Patriots might want to give him a year to adapt to NFL speed and physicality on top of a likely position change.

What is his growth potential? While his overall ceiling might be lower than somebody like Joe Alt’s, Fisher also has some room for growth. Not only is he still young and a developing player, he also can clean up his mechanics and footwork with some patience and the right coaching. If so, he can become a serviceable starter at both left and right tackle.

Does he have positional versatility? Within the context of the offensive tackle position, Fisher is a versatile player in his ability to line up both left and right. In addition, he has experience on special teams as a member of Notre Dame’s field goal and extra point protection teams.

Why the Patriots? Even with Chukwuma Okorafor joining the team in free agency, New England needs to upgrade at left tackle. A long-term developmental option such as Fisher would therefore make sense for the team, especially given that he will take a comparatively modest investment as a late third- or early fourth-round pick.

Why not the Patriots? If the Patriots want a plug-and-play starter at left tackle, they might prefer some of the possible second-round options available. Players such as Tyler Guyton, Jordan Morgan, or Patrick Paul are more ready to be inserted into the lineup compared to Fisher.

One-sentence verdict: Fisher has some developmental traits to work with, but might not be able to make a real impact until 2025.

What do you think about Blake Fisher as a potential Patriots target? Could he make the move to left tackle? Is New England better off playing it safer? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.