Michael Oher, Ole Miss
Offensive tackle, #74, 6'5" - 318 lbs.
If you are looking for a player to root for this year, I have that person for you - Michael Oher....Oher will probably be the first offensive lineman drafted in the 2009 NFL Draft...he is a consensus First Team All-American...Oher had a difficult, yet interesting life...he is the subject of Michael Lewis's 2006 book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game...
Growing up was not a fun time...his father was not involved in his upbringing and was murdered when Oher was a junior in high school...his mother was a crack addict...Oher had to repeat first grade...he attended 11 different schools during his first nine years as a student...he bounced around to various foster homes...he finally found stability when he was 16 and moved in with a white family by the name Tuohy...
Oher never played offensive tackle until his senior year...he turned heads immediately and was recruited by LSU, Tennessee, and Florida to name a few...but he chose Ole Miss because the Tuohys were graduates from there...
Blue Ribbon College Yearbook had this about Oher: "If Mike has a big year this year -- which we expect him to have -- he's going to be one of the top picks in the draft," said Kent Austin, Arkansas Offensive Coordinator. "He's got such a great combination of size and athleticism. He's a big tackle with great length and great feet. He's very quick off the ball and he's got a great center of balance. He's got the tools he needs to handle the great edge rushers in our conference."
FF Toolbox, an NFL draft site, had this written about Oher, "NFL scouts love how Oher is able to control the line of scrimmage. His massive physical frame, coupled with excellent footwork, makes it almost impossible for defensive linemen to get around his pass protection. His quick feet also make him a strong run blocker, as he's able to get to linebackers and neutralize their pursuit of the ball."...
The video below is of Oher at this year's SEC Media Day...
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