Baltimore Ravens select Iowa C Tyler Linderbaum with the 25th pick. Grade: A
With the 25th pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Baltimore Ravens select Iowa C Tyler Linderbaum.
GRADE: A.
I’ve mocked Linderbaum to the Ravens more than once, and I was doing it to their 14th overall pick. For Baltimore to get a guy at a position of need that general manager Eric DeCosta compared to future Hall of Famer Marshal Yanda at the scouting combine? That’s a spicy meatball, and when you combine this with Baltimore getting (STEALING) Kyle Hamilton with the 14th pick, it looks like the Ravens are on their way to crushing yet another draft.
Height: 6’2 1/8″ (6th) Weight: (5th)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: 75 5/8 inches (1st)
Arm Length: 31 1/8 inches (1st)
Hand Size: 10 inches (50th)
Bio: Linderbaum played offensive and defensive line at Solon High School in Solon, Iowa. Though the three-star recruit got an offer from Minnesota, he was a devoted Hawkeyes fan, and Iowa was the choice when the school came calling. He got 18 snaps as a defensive tackle in his freshman season of 2018, followed by a redshirt year in which he moved to the other side of the ball, replacing current Chicago Bears lineman James Daniels, who left school early. That stuck from then on, as Linderbaum made First-Team All-American in 2020, repeating that award in 2021. Last season, Linderbaum also made First-Team All-Big Ten, he was named Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, and he won the Rimington Trophy, given to the nation’s best center.
Stat to Know: Linderbaum’s Blown Block rate of 1.6% ranked 39th among offensive lineman in the NCAA in 2021. He did allow just one sack and seven total pressures on 457 pass-blocking snaps.
Strengths: Linderbaum is as functionally agile and mobile as you could ever expect from a center; this play against Kentucky is particularly noteworthy as he seems tangled up at the line of scrimmage, but then disengages and gets 30 yards downfield in no time.
And while he’s not the most powerful center in this class, when he gets upfield and gets a head of steam going, he’s a real problem for second-level defenders with his understanding of leverage. Linderbaum has aggressive hands and excellent technique to take defenders where they don’t really want to go.
Weaknesses: Linderbaum’s relative lack of size shows up when he’s facing bigger men in gaps and right over his head — there are times when he’ll simply get physically overwhelmed.
He will also give way to quicker defenders running inside speed moves and crossing his face.
Conclusion: Last season, the Hawkeyes blocked zone on 93% of their offensive snaps, and that proved to be the best fit for Linderbaum. His NFL team should be one that required a center who can reach the point in all kinds of zone concepts. If you need a gap mauler to snap the ball? There are other centers in this class far more qualified to make that happen.
NFL Comparison: Jason Kelce. At the scouting combine, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta compared Linderbaum to Marshal Yanda, who is a future Hall of Famer to me. I don’t quite see Yanda’s ferocious play strength in Linderbaum’s game, but he does put me very much in mind of Kelce, the five-time Pro Bowler and four-time First-Team All-Pro who has established quite a career with quickness and intelligence over root strength and power. That’s not to denigrate Kelce’s or Linderbaum’s power — it’s just a different kind of player. If you want a top-tier move center, this is your guy.
