Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth offered a peak into his mentality towards rookies and his job security recently while discussing the possibility of the Bengals selecting his presumed successor in the coming 2015 NFL Draft.
"I've always had the opposite mentality," Whitworth said, per Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com. "Mess up and draft somebody at my position because you are going to sit around and watch him sit the bench. That's always been my mentality. I see it as a challenge."
The Bengals, according to Peter King of Sports Illustrated, may be set to provide Whitworth with that very challenge via an early pick later this week.
"The Bengals, picking next, love Fisher, and if the Eagles pass on him, ace line coach Paul Alexander could mold the quick-footed Fisher into a long-term left tackle ... if Andrew Whitworth, 33, whose contract expires after this season, leaves in free agency in 2016," King writes. "Fisher's biggest problem is he can't overpower anyone yet. But the converted tight end has a chance to be really good."
That whole tight end-turned-tackle thing has worked before - just look at former Bills and current Eagles left tackle Jason Peters. Peters came to Arkansas as an over-sized tight end, entered the NFL as an offensive line prospect with little polish and big warts and eventually blossomed with the Eagles as a mammoth, dancing bear, turning himself into quite possibly the best offensive lineman in the league.
While it's unlikely Fisher will be able to follow the exact same path, he boasts many of the attributes that have helped Peters become a perennial Pro Bowl player.
"Former tight end who moves easily and naturally. Good initial quickness to reach cross-face blocks. Finisher in zone game," writes NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. "Can sustain blocks with proper hip roll and balance through contact. Keeps base wide and uses choppy, controlled steps in pass sets. Mirrors well and has feet to shut down stunts inside. Well-timed and effortless transition from initial block to second-level assignment. Adjusts with good change of direction."
Fisher, 6-foot-6, 306-pounds, is an athletic marvel with the size to match.
While Whitworth has continually graded out as one of the best pass-blocking tackles in the league - per Pro Football Focus he was the most efficient pass protector in the NFL last year - but he's set to turn 34 soon and, prideful boast or no, he's obviously much closer to the end of his professional football career than the beginning.
Fisher seems ready to vie for a starting spot right away either on the interior or at right tackle and could, with time and a bit of development in an NFL nutrition and training program, eventually kick out to Whitworth's spot on the left side.
