If Fant works out, great.
But a truly good NFL O-Lineman is a special breed and becoming increasingly valued throughout the league as the D-Side gets bigger/faster/stronger.
B-Ball skill can bridge into a tight end far easier than O-Line. Top tier O-Line guys are a mix of strength, and position smarts that take some time to develop. You can take two guys of similar age/build/etc., put some gloves on them and box a few rounds. The guy with even just a few years of actual boxing training will completely toy with the other guy whose only experience is a few occasional fist fights or hitting the bag - or just watching fighting.
The trained fighter can almost instantly calculate angle, recognize a punch thrown a half-second before it's thrown, know what side the guy is going to move by the position of their feet, etc. Within a minute the untrained fighter is out of balance, gassed, and easy pickings.
O-Line is very similar. The have a couple seconds of explosive interaction in which to do their job and it all starts right before the snap. It takes skill. I laugh at those who say linemen just need to be big and strong. Good Lord there's so much more to it than that. It's all about center of gravity, weight shift, anticipation, getting away with holding, intimidation, keeping at it until the play is finished even when the air is sizzling out of your lungs.
Another analogy is someone who is a highly skilled wrestler. Put him up against an untrained guy who is a good 30 pounds heavier. If the wrestler isn't taken out by a wild swing, and gets the other guy down, it's all over. He'll wrap you up and goodnight. That 30+ pounds is just an anchor.
O-Line is king. They can make a mediocre running back look like a solid workhorse who chews up teams for 3 and 4 yard gains all game long. Without a good line - it's much smaller gains and/or negative yards all game long.
(Sound familiar?)
But a truly good NFL O-Lineman is a special breed and becoming increasingly valued throughout the league as the D-Side gets bigger/faster/stronger.
B-Ball skill can bridge into a tight end far easier than O-Line. Top tier O-Line guys are a mix of strength, and position smarts that take some time to develop. You can take two guys of similar age/build/etc., put some gloves on them and box a few rounds. The guy with even just a few years of actual boxing training will completely toy with the other guy whose only experience is a few occasional fist fights or hitting the bag - or just watching fighting.
The trained fighter can almost instantly calculate angle, recognize a punch thrown a half-second before it's thrown, know what side the guy is going to move by the position of their feet, etc. Within a minute the untrained fighter is out of balance, gassed, and easy pickings.
O-Line is very similar. The have a couple seconds of explosive interaction in which to do their job and it all starts right before the snap. It takes skill. I laugh at those who say linemen just need to be big and strong. Good Lord there's so much more to it than that. It's all about center of gravity, weight shift, anticipation, getting away with holding, intimidation, keeping at it until the play is finished even when the air is sizzling out of your lungs.
Another analogy is someone who is a highly skilled wrestler. Put him up against an untrained guy who is a good 30 pounds heavier. If the wrestler isn't taken out by a wild swing, and gets the other guy down, it's all over. He'll wrap you up and goodnight. That 30+ pounds is just an anchor.
O-Line is king. They can make a mediocre running back look like a solid workhorse who chews up teams for 3 and 4 yard gains all game long. Without a good line - it's much smaller gains and/or negative yards all game long.
(Sound familiar?)