.png)
Tyler Linderbaum seems to be working out A-okay
with the Baltimore Ravens.
The former
Rimington Trophy-winning center with the Iowa Hawkeyes is
making a splash during his rookie season with the Ravens. Selected with
the No. 25 pick in the 2022 NFL draft, Baltimore’s belief in
Linderbaum is quickly being rewarded.
Minus star quarterback Lamar Jackson this past
week, Baltimore needed a
nice performance up front. They got that as Linderbaum delivered.
Baltimore quarterback Tyler Huntley completed just
8-of-12 passes for 88 yards, but running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards
combined for 186 rushing yards and a score on 28 carries to lead the Ravens to
a 16-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In the process, the rookie center earned top marks from Pro Football
Focus for his Week 14 efforts. Linderbaum was the highest-graded offensive
lineman in all of the NFL with a grade of 91.3 last week in the Ravens’ win.
The highest-graded OL in Week 14 👀 pic.twitter.com/vXj4um6n8V
— PFF (@PFF) December 12, 2022
All of it is
made more impressive by the fact that Linderbaum was matched up against one of
the NFL’s best in Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Hayward.
“It’s really a great point. He did; they put Cam
[Heyward] over him quite a few times, which is not their norm all the time. I think they felt like they were
going to test Tyler [Linderbaum], and Tyler came through. Sure, Cam had
his plays, too. There was a lot of back and forth in the run game and the pass
game,” Ravens head coach
John Harbaugh said.
“Cam
Heyward’s one of the best players in football. So, I thought Tyler did a heck
of a job. [He] acquitted himself excellent, excellent. [He] had some really
phenomenal blocks [and] just continues to improve all the time. So, [I’m]
really happy we have him.”
For the season, Linderbaum is the No. 7 graded center according to PFF with an overall
offensive grade of 73.4 and a run blocking grade of 82.1. He ranks as the
Ravens’ sixth-highest graded offensive player on the year per
PFF.
Linderbaum’s ascension should only continue as the season and years roll along, but it’s great to see him receiving some national praise this week.
