CHICAGO – It has been a remarkable journey for Ohio State offensive lineman Taylor Decker, from the position of not being recruited by the Buckeyes until Urban Meyer arrived in Columbus to now being a member of the Detroit Lions after being selected with the 16tg overall pick of the 1st round in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Decker was the anchor of the Ohio State offensive line over the past several seasons and now looks to figure prominently into the plans of the Lions . Ohio State offensive linemen have fared very well over recent years with players like Corey Linsley, Jack Mewhort and Andrew Norwell all working their way into starting roles.

Decker is the first Ohio State offensive lineman to be drafted in the first round since the 2006 NFL Draft when the New York Jets took Nick Mangold 29th overall in the first round. This is the highest that an Ohio State offensive lineman has gone in the draft since Orlando Pace went No. 1 overall in the 1997 draft.

The new Lion could have come out after the 2014 season but wanted to come back to Ohio State for one more season and earned captain status and was part of Ohio State's 12-1 team that defeated Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. While a second national championship did not happen, Decker is now part of an epic Ohio State draft class that could swell beyond a dozen players getting selected in the three-day draft in Chicago.

During Decker's career, the Buckeyes put up a record of 50-4 and the big offensive lineman was named a consensus All-American as a senior and was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten performer.