Introduction
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.
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. He originally committed to the University of Notre Dame to play college football but changed to Ohio State University. In addition to football, Decker played basketball in high school.
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. Decker moved from right tackle to left tackle his junior year in 2014 and was the Buckeyes only returning starter on the offensive line. He started all 15 games, including the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship victory over Oregon.
Professional career
| 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 ⁄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 | ||||||||||||
Decker was drafted in the first round with the 16th overall pick by the Detroit Lions in the 2016 NFL draft.
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. 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. He was placed on the physically unable to perform list to start the 2017 season. He was activated off PUP on November 11, 2017, 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, 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.
On April 29, 2019, the Lions exercised the fifth-year option on Decker's contract.