• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

OL Nicholas Petit-Frere (1st Team All American, Tennessee Titans)

Absolutely huge to get some reps with the ones.

I’ll always remember how Taylor Decker looked early. It just takes time.

Despite Taylor having the unfortunate task of getting Mack almost every snap, your point is valid. OL is a position where you need game time experience to settle in. NPF is a great talent. Give him a little more experience and time to add good weight next year, and he'll be primed to be our next great OL.
 
Upvote 0
Yeah I knew I’d get that comment but that wasn’t Deckers only rough game. My point was it took a little bit before he became who he ultimately was.
I agree, it’s just interesting (at the time and now) looking back at that. Decker’s struggles in that game made a lot of sense in restrospect.

I agree that it’s too early to hit the panic button with NPF, but I think the mild concern button is warranted, especially because his primary problem seems to be maintaining the weight he needs to hold up in the trenches for a season, which isn’t a flip that will switch on for him.

Either way, the coaches comments about his performance were way more glowing than I expected given what I saw. I don’t know if that is more for his psychological benefit than factual or what, but we obviously need him to step up in a big way in future seasons, so fingers crossed for the best.
 
Upvote 0
It does indeed take time.

I wish more people would remember these kinds of times for a talent, even to the level of NPF, before they type the inevitable Orlando Pace comparison during the next recruiting silly season.
Unless we are talking Paris Johnson because he absolutely is the next Pace. And I will be massively disappointed he isn’t the best OT in the country from his first snap.
 
Upvote 0
I don’t think the Northwestern DEs on Friday are comparable to Khalil Mack.
[From post-game recap] Decker gave up three sacks today, two by All American Khalil Mack, the third by some nobody (Nick Gilbo, a walk-on linebacker). Decker looked equally bad on all three sacks. This will be a problem going forward.
It wasn't just Khalil Mack that day. Decker was pretty bad early on, then developed himself into a first round draft pick. That's a normal progression for an OL. Not many guys (well, nobody really) are Orlando Pace, who come in and dominate from snap one.

NPF should be alright in the long run.
 
Upvote 0
Unless we are talking Paris Johnson because he absolutely is the next Pace. And I will be massively disappointed he isn’t the best OT in the country from his first snap.

Probably needs to get split off but I shall remain dubious that any other human being in my lifetime comes out of HS with Pace's size, agility then dominates from snap 1 as a true freshman.

It's like telling me a WR has hands like Cris Carter. No he doesn't. No one does.

Happy to be wrong in Paris Johnson's case but people have been using the next Pace thing for 20 years and have been wrong for 20 years. Every time.
 
Upvote 0
Probably needs to get split off but I shall remain dubious that any other human being in my lifetime comes out of HS with Pace's size, agility then dominates from snap 1 as a true freshman.

It's like telling me a WR has hands like Cris Carter. No he doesn't. No one does.

Happy to be wrong in Paris Johnson's case but people have been using the next Pace thing for 20 years and have been wrong for 20 years. Every time.
Because OL recruiting is arguably the hardest position because they play next to no one as big and talented as them in HS. I've been watching Paris Johnson decimate DL all over Cincinnati this season, and most of them he outweighs by almost 50-100lbs! Paris won't see a kid as talented or as skilled as say a Tyreke Smith, JJB, Harrison, or Friday. I'm sure Frere is getting a lot of good advice in practice, but it's a steep learning curve going from HS, to practicing against a Chase Young or even Jonathon Cooper(not to mention the other guys I stated)
 
Upvote 0
Back
Top