Taking an offensive tackle high in the draft has long been considered one of the safest picks an NFL team can make.
If the lineman doesn’t work out as a tackle, the theory goes, he always can move inside to guard and have a long career there.
While that adage generally holds true today, NFL teams have found it increasingly difficult to rely on rookies to play the premium left tackle position, a fate the Detroit Lions will tempt this year with first-round pick Taylor Decker expected to start as Matthew Stafford’s blindside protector.
Twenty offensive linemen have gone in the first round of the three drafts prior to this year, and teams have taken varying approaches with their development.