Ravens Have Top Candidate in NFL Draft to Replace Tyler Linderbaum

Though the Baltimore Ravens made a competitive offer to re-sign center Tyler Linderbaum at four years and $88 million, per The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec, he opted to leave the organization in favor of a three-year, $81 million pact in free agency with the Las Vegas Raiders.

As such, the Ravens are now tasked with finding a suitable replacement for the three-time Pro Bowler, who anchored an otherwise weak interior offensive line while being flanked by guards Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees during the 2025 campaign.

Unless starting Danny Pinter is Baltimore's intention, which is a little hard to believe at this juncture, the team is almost certain to select a prospect capable of playing center almost immediately in the 2026 NFL Draft.

While there's a number of potential targets at the position, Utah's Spencer Fano is seemingly gaining steam as a top option for the Ravens at No. 14 overall in the first round.

Oct 18, 2025; Provo, Utah, USA; Utah Utes offensive lineman Spencer Fano (55) waits for the play against the BYU Cougars during the first half at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Fano Becoming a Popular Pick in Mock Drafts

Some of the top draft pundits have begun sending Fano to Baltimore in their recent mock drafts, which feels like a rather notable development.

ESPN's Field Yates was the most recent expert to join the party, writing that, "his 32⅛-inch arms have convinced some evaluators that he would be better at guard or center," despite playing right tackle for Utah over the past two seasons.

Todd McShay, meanwhile, stated that Fano is one of the top three offensive linemen in this year's class in addition to writing, "a pretty great fallback would be converting Fano to center (following Tyler Linderbaum’s departure), where I think he’d be elite."

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. also chose Fano at No. 14 in his latest mock draft, declaring, "he could absolutely handle that role as a replacement for Tyler Linderbaum on the Ravens."

Would Fano Be a Smart Pick for Baltimore?

With few veteran options available at this stage of the offseason, the Ravens have essentially backed themselves into needing a rookie to emerge as a viable option at center in 2026, unless of course Pinter steps up.

Fano projects well as an interior offensive lineman at the next level given that his arm length is a long-term concern at tackle, though the fact that he has experience there raises his floor and makes him incredibly versatile.

He has quick feet and fantastic movement skills overall for the position, which helps him climb to the second level with ease.

If the Ravens believe Fano could transition smoothly to center and stick there for the next decade, than he'd be a home run pick at No. 14, and as noted before, there's a chance he could move back to tackle or even guard and perform well if the experiment at center doesn't ultimately work out.

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