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Taylor Decker's self-awareness, an understanding of where he knows he needs to improve, is what will help him adapt quickly to the professional game, says trainer and former Pro Bowler LeCharles Bentley.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

The Detroit Lions drafting Taylor Decker in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft was anything but a surprise. The Ohio State offensive tackle filled a glaring roster need and was widely expected to be available when the Lions were on the clock with the No. 16 pick.

The day of the draft, Decker was the most popular player projected to the Lions in our roundup of nearly 100 mock drafts from around the country. He had been the popular projection for weeks.

Knowing Decker was working with former Pro Bowler LeCharles Bentley's group at O-Line Performance in Scottsdale, Ariz, I reached out to Bentley two weeks ago. I was looking for some insight on Decker and whether Bentley thought his pupil was the type who could step in and start Day 1 for the Lions. I received no response. Well, not until half-hour after the Lions made their pick and Decker was on a conference call with local reporters.

Bentley message was simple, "Lol. Yes."

He had sat on the message for two weeks, kept in his back pocket and waited until after the pick to let me know. And while that did nothing to help me in the days leading up to the draft, Bentley cleared some time in his schedule this week to answer some of my questions about Decker.

Q: I know you're picky about the guys you're willing to train. Beyond the obvious Ohio State connection, what made Taylor a fit?

Bentley: "I think he's legit. What I mean by legit, he's a legitimate human being. That's the first thing we look for is a high-quality person. I know some coaches and GMs like to say a guy has all the boxes checked, Taylor checks every box as a person. Obviously, as a football player, the film speaks for itself, but him as a person, that's what you're going to find out. He's a special human being."

Q: What about his game make him the most pro-ready?

Bentley: "I think his understanding of where he's at as a player is what allows him to be more pro-ready than most young guys at this stage of their careers. To sum that up, it's one thing to walk into this league and know what you don't know, versus not know what you don't know. Taylor understands, very keenly, what it is he doesn't know. Those are the areas that he's very focused on improving and has been working on improving each and every day.

"It's like growing up as a kid, you don't understand how hot the stove is and you keep trying to touch it until you get burned. He's the type of player that's going to stay ahead of the curve because he understands what it is that he doesn't know and what he needs to continue to work at to get better. That just comes back to his personality as a human being. He's so humble. Like people say, he's the type of person and player that gets it. He understands what it means to be a part of that organization. He understands the heritage, the lineage and everything else that comes with coming out of Ohio State. He respects that. That's the one gift that he has is understanding what he needs to work at and having no problem or qualms attacking those areas. That's what is going to allow him to mature so rapidly in this business."





Q: Taylor was somewhat vague on the topic, but he did say he's focused on improving his pass protection. I've read Ohio State's pass sets are different than what he'll be asked to do in the pros. I went back and watched some film and noticed those sets were shallow and didn't typically require a traditional kick slide. How difficult do you think that adjustment will be?

Bentley: "That's a great question. I just don't believe, and maybe this is just me being sensitive about Ohio State, I don't think it's an Ohio State thing as much as it's a college football thing, across the entire landscape. You know?



"What he was asked to do in college, he did it very well. What he's asked to do as a pro, he'll adapt to that. One thing the Lions obviously saw, once you look at the film and you evaluate spread offense offensive linemen, you can't just look at what you see, you have to look beyond that. You have to evaluate what you don't see. The key element of that is understanding movement patterns.

"The thing that Taylor Decker does better than all the tackles in this draft class, in my humble opinion, is he moves exceptionally well as an offensive lineman. With that being said, he's going to be able to pick up and adapt to a pro style offense, the pro style techniques, quicker than many people realize. What he was doing in college wasn't that far off from what he's going to be asked to do as a pro and that's why I think he's going to do so well."

Q: Can you elaborate a little more about what you mean by movement patterns? Are you talking about his footwork and the ability to maintain proper weight distribution?

Bentley: "Taylor moves the way that an offensive lineman is supposed to move. He understands the craft, he understands how to move. Some guys who were drafted, they have no clue. They're the type of players who are just genetically gifted and those are the guys that you call athletes. I'd much rather have an offensive lineman who understands angles and how to play the game than a lineman who is just a good athlete.

"The good athlete, those are the guys that take much longer to develop because they're always relying on skill set to make the game that much easier and comfortable for them. The problem with this position, it's not a position of comfort. It's a craft. You have to slide comfort to the side and adapt to the demands of the position. If you watch Taylor's movement patterns, he moves his body the way a good offensive lineman is supposed to move his body. I'm not putting him in a Joe Thomas class, but when you watch a player like Joe Thomas, he doesn't qualify as a great athlete. Joe Thomas is a Hall of Fame offensive tackle because he understands how to move his body.



Q: I view offensive line similar to the way I view cornerback. Athleticism is great, but good technique trumps all. Not to discount arm length for offensive linemen, because it matters, but many people know, Joe Thomas has short arms. He's simply an elite technician. So are you saying Taylor is technically advanced?

Bentley: "That's exactly where he is. That's one of the benefits of the offense he played in at Ohio State is understanding angles, understanding leverage points. That's what he really adapted to at a really high level and that will be part of the reason he'll adapt to whatever (Lions offensive line coach) Ron Prince, or the offense in general, is going to demand of him. He's going to do extremely well."



Q: Decker has obviously been on your radar for some time, but once you brought him in and started working with him, was there anything that surprised you?

Bentley: "I would say this, he's much stronger than he looks. That's the thing that shocked me. Now, when you look at him on film, he plays very strong. You can see that on film. But, normally, the guys that are really tall, their strength doesn't really show up in the weight room. But he's actually as strong in the weight room as he is on the field, which, for guys like that, is a bit of an anomaly. ...He qualifies as a weight room guy."



Q: Speaking of strength, you posted some before and after pictures of Taylor after a couple months of working with your group. What can you tell me about those photos?

Bentley: "It speaks to his high level of conviction. He stuck with what we asked him to do and he was able to make some rapid changes in a short period of time. The most difficult thing about this whole process is getting guys to adapt to the lifestyle component. It's not a quick fix around here. The last thing we want to do is lie to an NFL club. I don't want somebody to come here and be a part of this, where they're looking good, moving well, but haven't changed their mindset, and when they get to their team they turn into turds. I don't want that to happen.

"That's why you're very selective who comes in the door. A guy like Taylor, he really took to the whole lifestyle component. He and I were just texting about his workout (Tuesday) that he had in Columbus and his workout for (Wednesday), the supplements he's taking, what he should be eating between now and Thursday's minicamp with the team. That's the type of person he is, he's very tuned in, and that's why you're able to get results with guys like him."

Q: I'm in the camp that believes the value gap between left and right tackle has significantly narrowed. Where do stand on this debate?

Bentley: "Well, I think that's a hell of a question for the Carolina Panthers to answer. (laughter). They've blown that mess out of the water. You can hide for so long having an inferior guy at either tackle spot, but the roosters always come home to roost. Unfortunately, it happened for them on the biggest stage.



"It's the same thing for the Lions, or any organization. You can try to put out an inferior product on the left or right side because of ideology, or it comes down to a financial thing, but at some point, the truth will be told. Defenders and defensive coaches are smart."



Q: So with Taylor, does it really matter which side he plays?

BENTLEY: "Taylor is going to adapt to anything you ask him to do. If you want him to play center, he'd try that as well."

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