Seahawks Draft Profile: Tyler Linderbaum
With the 2022 NFL Draft set to kick off in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 28, the Seahawks will have a chance to kickstart a new era for the franchise with eight selections, including a top 10 pick and four picks total in the first three rounds.
Over the next month leading up to draft weekend, the Seahawk Maven writing staff will dish out in-depth profiles on numerous prospects who could be targets on Seattle's big board.
Next up in the series, the Seahawks are in desperate need of help at center. Could they use their first round selection on a possible franchise cornerstone in Tyler Linderbaum?
Background
If there is an award an Iowa Hawkeyes football player can win, Linderbaum won it all during his time in the program. Team MVP, permanent team captain, the Hayden Fry Award for leadership on and off the field, Linderbaum earned it all. The icing on the cake for his 2021 season was being named the winner of the Rimington Trophy, given to the top center in all of college football. Not to mention his efforts last year earned him unanimous consensus All-American status, one of just 12 Iowa football players in history to ever have such a distinction.
He really left his mark in Iowa after coming into the program as a three-star, native Iowan recruit. In 2021, he also earned the highest grade of any player in all the FBS by Pro Football Focus.
Strengths
While he may not be the biggest center prospect in history, he plays with a viciousness to be admired. As such, he is excellent in creating leverage and moving men bigger than himself. He is fluid and athletic enough to reach for blocks farther away such as a 3-tech down lineman or a linebacker at the second level.
His hand-striking is second to none. Once Linderbaum gets his big mitts on you, you aren't going anywhere he doesn't want you to go. With a compact and explosive punch, he neutralizes even some of the best interior rushes and stunts.
Something you can usually expect from Iowa football players is a high football IQ. Head coach Kirk Ferentz is as proficient as any coach in college football in preparing his players for the NFL. Linderbaum is no exception. The soon-to-be 22-year old thinks quickly on his feet, especially when in pass protection. His elite body control and relentless effort make it difficult for any defender to best him and disrupt the backfield.
Weaknesses
As mentioned, Linderbaum's size might be his only weakness at 6-foot-2 and 296 pounds. For reference, past Seattle centers Justin Britt and Ethan Pocic were both 6-foot-6 and at least 315 pounds. This could result in him getting overpowered by massive, brutally strong interior lineman often found in the NFL.
However, Linderbaum has shown the tenacity and technique to combat sheer size and strength.
The only other weakness is his lack of versatility. He is a true center, lacking the girth needed for a guard or the length for a tackle. However, for a team looking for their next franchise center, he is perhaps the best prospect to enter the league in several years, even including Oklahoma center Creed Humphrey a year ago.
Fit in Seattle
A year ago, the Seahawks drafted Dee Eskridge with pick No. 56, with Humphrey still on the board. All Humphrey did was become an All-Pro and finish third in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting as a center for the Chiefs. All this while the Seahawks floundered with Pocic and Kyle Fuller manning one of the most important positions on the field to mediocre results at best.
Now it's time for Seattle to right that wrong. They have another opportunity to nab a center that could be even better than Humphrey. This would require them using their first round pick and forgoing a shot at one of the top quarterbacks of the draft. Perhaps they could even trade down a few slots and select Linderbaum in the middle of the first round. Most experts do not expect him to last longer than the top 20 picks.
The only players currently on Seattle's roster with any sort of experience as a center in an NFL regular season game is recent signee Austin Blythe, who has averaged a 59.8 grade from Pro Football Focus over the last three years, and Damien Lewis, who should be the team's best guard moving forward.
Simply put, Linderbaum would immediately solve one of the Seahawks' biggest needs. They have not had a Pro Bowl-level center since Max Unger in 2013. It's time for that to change.
Previous Seahawks NFL Draft Profiles
