Tyler Linderbaum has the chance to be the earliest selected center in draft history. Rather than boring you with a long intro, let's dive right into one of my favorite players in this draft!
Biography
Name: Tyler Linderbaum
Position: Center
Height: 6'3
Weight: 290
Age: 21.9
Class: RS Junior
School: Iowa
For those of you who are new to the 'In a Nutshell' series, this is a summarized scouting report to give you everything you need to know "in a nutshell."
The Good
Linderbaum is an elite blocker overall. His run and pass blocking both garner 'elite' trait scores, showing his ability to impact every single play. Not many come out of college being as refined as Linderbaum: his footwork is sublime, his hand-technique is top-tier, and he even re-fires his hands to regain control of the defender. Linderbaum's athleticism and processing is off-the-chart as well, so his day-one impact will be easily a top-10 center in the NFL.
The Bad
Nose tackles had their way with Linderbaum multiple times throughout the year. Caesar Williams, a personal friend and starting cornerback for the Wisconsin Badgers sent a text saying "Our nose tackle whooped him... Run game wise." This may have been an over-exaggeration on his behalf, but the issues handling nose tackles one-on-one are consistent. Linderbaum's anchor is only a small concern, though, as it is just in the lower tier of NFL caliber.
The Ugly?
You guys like the categories? Me too. This will become a staple from now on to help organize it better! For Linderbaum, maybe the ugly is his arm length and weight (31 1/8" arms at 296 pounds). That is all, folks. That is all.
Overall
As Snoop Dogg once said: "this MF don't miss. In the heat of battle, he don't miss." While he was not referencing Linderbaum then, it sure fits now. The Iowa prospect is one of the best talents I have ever seen coming from the collegiate level. With only anchor and arm length being real concerns, there is not much to debate about when it comes to his projection. Overall, Linderbaum will be a 10-20 year starter in the NFL, and it would not surprise me one bit if he ended being a Hall of Famer.
Grading Scale: (Average: 5/10)
Pass Blocking: 13/15
Run Blocking: 13/15
Anchor: 6.75/10
Mechanics: 8.5/10
Power: 7.5/10
Athleticism: 9.75/10
IQ: 9/10
Hands: 4.5/5
Versatility: 4.5/5
Injury: 4.75/5
Mentality: 5/5
Draft Grade: 86.25
Draft Projection: Mid-First Round
Big Board Rank: Top Ten
Yes but look at what happend with Bradberry why do you think it will be diffrent this time