Player: Tyler Linderbaum

School: Iowa

Height and Weight: 6’2”, 296

Combine Results:

• 40: DNP
• Bench: DNP
• Vertical Jump: DNP
• Broad Jump: DNP
• 3 Cone: DNP
• Other Notes: Linderbaum suffered a foot injury in the Citrus bowl causing him to miss the combine.

Strengths: Run blocking, pass blocking, getting out in front of plays

Weaknesses: Size in question, bigger more powerful guys, arm extension

Projected Draft Day: Day 1

Player Comparison: Jason Kelce

Player Summary: Tyler Linderbaum could be the best center prospect to come out in years. Linderbaum is an incredible blocker in both the run and pass games. In the run game, he is great at the point of attack as well as releasing up to the second level. His ability to pull and get out in front of plays is great. In the pass game, he’s a really smart player who always has his head on a swivel. He’s really good at baiting lineman to rush and getting past them to get out in front of screen plays.

In terms of the negatives, it sounds like teams are questioning his size and wonder how he will hold up in the pros. This is partly where the Jason Kelce comp comes into play. He measured at the combine to a similar size as Kelce, and clearly that hasn’t stopped Kelce from being arguably the best center in all of football for years. It also looked like Linderbaum struggled more with bigger, more powerful lineman than smaller faster guys. He wouldn’t get beat often but he would get pushed back. I think his technique will help him keep his base and hold his own in the long run but time will tell. The other issue I see with Linderbaum is that he can tend to let D-linemen get into his chest; his arm extension while blocking isn’t always the best.

Overall, Linderbaum gets the job done and that’s what matters. Linderbaum will continue to block you down field until the whistle blows. His effort is going to keep him playing at a high level for a very long time. I heard a report that he can be an All-Pro player starting his rookie year, and I definitely believe it.