After spending four years as an offensive tackle at Division II Shepherd University in West Virginia, Maryland native Joey Fisher hopes to fulfill his childhood dreams of hearing his name called in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-5, 322-pound lineman was a three-year starter for the Rams, who did not play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fisher participated in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and Senior Bowl following Shepherd’s 13-2 season.
Fisher and two of his Rams teammates, Ronnie Brown and Brian Walker, had the opportunity to take part in the Ravens’ local pro day on April 4. That was a thrill for Fisher considering he grew up a Ravens fan in Prince George’s County and later Western Maryland.
“It’d definitely be a wild experience if I get to hear my name called and be able to stay home and play in front of family and friends and fulfill that childhood dream of being a Baltimore Raven,” Fisher said on Glenn Clark Radio April 12.
Fisher was a four-sport athlete at Clear Spring High School in Washington County (football, basketball, track and baseball). However, his primary focus has always been football, as he excelled on both sides of the ball in high school.
Fisher initially committed to Maryland as a defensive end in high school, but he felt uncomfortable signing there due to some coaching changes. He also got offered a full scholarship to Towson, but that did not work out.
“I come from a small school. I live up now in Western Maryland. I went to Clear Spring High School, a small school — 400 kids probably total,” Fisher said. “I was kind of like their first Division I football player out of my school and around the area, so I didn’t really have anybody to lean on to say, ‘Where do I go next? How does this process work?’ So I just stuck to the grind.”
After getting engaged and taking some time off working for his father’s business, he went to Shepherd University to talk to head coach Ernie McCook due to his old high school coach’s connections. After touring the school and learning about the program, Fisher got a second chance to play college football.
“I kind of fell in love with it. Now, I definitely have my roots there. I have a younger brother who also plays at Shepherd, so any place that’s definitely dear to my heart would be Shepherd,” Fisher said.
Fisher transitioned to an offensive lineman during his time at Shepherd. He mentioned how McCook told him he would be a “diamond in the rough” at the next level due to his build. A lot of linemen are not built like him (fast, strong and light on their feet), so he took the opportunity and ran with it.
Fisher has dreams of sticking to his Maryland roots and playing for his childhood team, but he explained that he would be grateful to just hear his name being called and represent whatever team puts its time and money into him.
“Outside the field … I am not a guy that goes out and parties and will be a distraction. On the field, you’re going to get a guy that wants to come out every day and work hard, be a mauler. That’s something I pride myself on, being able to come out and dominate the guy in front of me,” Fisher said. “[I am] a sponge, being able to collect information from the coaches, the veterans, the players around me, and just being able to see across the league, what tools do guys have in their tool belt and what can I take from that and develop my game into?”
For more from Fisher, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: William Ransom