INDIANAPOLIS — A little more than three years after offensive tackle Blake Fisher arrived at Notre Dame as a five-star prospect out of Avon (Ind.) High School, he returned close to home this week to participate in the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Fisher received one of the 70 invitations given to offensive lineman hoping to be selected in April’s NFL Draft. He joined fellow Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt and six other former Irish players: quarterback Sam Hartman, running back Audric Estimé, defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste, linebackers JD Bertrand and Marist Liufau and cornerback Cam Hart.
“It’s a blessing to be here,” Fisher said. “A great opportunity. I’ve been around mom and dad a couple times. Just being back at home is pretty comfortable. Being here is exciting. It’s been a journey, but we’re here now.”
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Fisher stood at a podium Saturday speaking to reporters while wearing a heart-shaped locket with a childhood picture of himself with his sister, Breonna, who died in 2011 at 10 years old. Fisher made sure to bring her along for one of the biggest moments of his life.
“It means everything,” Fisher said of being at the NFL Combine. “It’s an opportunity of a lifetime. It’s a blessing to be here. I wouldn’t have been here without a lot of hard work and dedication.
“For the most part, I’ve had a lot of great guys within my room at Notre Dame to learn from and hear from to be able excel at this next level. The opportunity that I have here is great.”
Long before Fisher landed at Notre Dame, he grew up in a family that valued education. But that’s been put to the side for now. Fisher left Notre Dame after three seasons and a little less than two semesters away from graduating with a degree in political science. He’s expected to return to finish his course work in the future.
Fisher pointed to time management as his biggest personal improvement from his time at Notre Dame. He had to learn that quickly when he enrolled early in 2021 and worked his way into a starting spot.
Fisher, who ended up being overshadowed by Alt, a two-time All-American, during his Notre Dame career, felt the time was right for him to test his talent in the NFL. He consulted Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, offensive line coach Joe Rudolph and his agents and trusted his gut.
“I have a plan in place to make sure everything goes as smooth as possible,” Fisher said. “From there, I decided to leave.”
The 6-foot-6, 312-pound Fisher spent the last eight weeks training in Frisco, Texas, with offensive line specialist Duke Manyweather to prepare for the combine. He’s been doing work at right tackle, where he started 26 games in his Notre Dame career, and left tackle, where he started just once, just in case he’s asked to do either.
Fisher will get a chance to show what he can do in testing and drill work Sunday during the on-field workout in Lucas Oil Stadium.
“Just showing my athleticism,” Fisher said he hopes to prove, “showing the way that I move, strong punch, my anchor, the way that really my athleticism speaks for itself compared to a lot of other people. And then just my smarts.”
Fisher sells himself as versatile, even though the last time he started at left tackle was his first career start at Florida State on Sept. 5, 2021. The trajectory of Fisher’s career changed when he suffered a knee injury in that game. While Fisher was sidelined for the rest of the regular season, Alt eventually won the starting spot after injuries to Michael Carmody and Tosh Baker. When Fisher returned for the Fiesta Bowl to end the season, he was put back into the starting lineup at right tackle.
Now Alt and Fisher are sharing an assigned hotel room during their stay in Indianapolis.
“That’s my guy,” Fisher said. “I love Joe. I was with him for three years at Notre Dame. Came in together. Went out together. So having him as a roommate is comfortable. Being in there with somebody you know, you can kind of decompress, if you will, at the end of the day. So, it’s good.”
Like Alt, Fisher cited Philadelphia Eagles tackle Lane Johnson as someone he tries to emulate in his game. Fisher also mentioned Laremy Tunsil (Houston Texans) and Trent Williams (San Francisco 49ers).
Fisher also didn’t hesitate when asked about the toughest one-on-one matchups he faced at Notre Dame: Clemson defensive end Xavier Thomas and Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer.
The list of offensive coordinators Fisher played for at Notre Dame is the same length: Tommy Rees and Gerad Parker. The list of offensive line coaches Fisher played for is even longer: Jeff Quinn, Harry Hiestand and Rudolph.
But all the change he endured in such a short time can be spun as a positive for NFL personnel. With only two full seasons as a starter, Fisher may only be scratching the surface of his potential.
“I played in multiple schemes at Notre Dame” he said. “That’s kind of prepared me for some of the questions that I have specifics-wise when it comes to scheme that I’d be comfortable playing in. Having two different OCs, three different O-line coaches at Notre Dame has afforded me the opportunity to be versatile in a lot of different schemes. Really, I’m open to whatever I need to do at the next level.”
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