The Detroit Lions are hoping Taylor Decker, their first-round pick in this year’s NFL draft, turns out to be an animal on the field. Off the field, the 6-foot-7 offensive tackle from Ohio State, likes spending time with animals. Decker graduated from OSU with a degree in animal sciences and spent 200 hours of internship work the last two summers at the Columbus Zoo, according to a story by SB Nation’s Jeanna Thomas. Football is “obviously my first passion, but to know that you have something that interests you and something that you enjoy to fall back on, I think that is important,” Decker told Thomas. “We always talked about, when I was in school at Ohio State — you’ve got to have your plan B in motion before your plan A fails.” Decker’s parents insisted he return to Ohio State for his senior season to get his degree and that allowed him to start 42 games over his final three seasons with the Buckeyes. He was a consensus All-American as well as the Big Ten’s Offensive Lineman of the Year. Decker was among four Buckeyes selected with the first 16 picks. Five OSU players went in the top 20. Here are a couple of other links to stories about Decker: • Decker doesn’t plan to sit on the bench as a rookie with the Lions, according to a profile by MLive’s Justin Rogers last month. He wants to contribute immediately. …
Continue Reading: Football is first passion for Lions’ top pick Taylor Decker but Plan B involves working with animals
