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Tate Ratledge started three seasons at right guard at Georgia, but one of the reasons the Detroit Lions valued him so highly in this year’s NFL draft was because of his versatility.
Ratledge said on draft night he played left tackle in high school and saw two game reps at left guard in college. When he showed up for rookie minicamp in May, the Lions started him at center – perhaps in the hopes of grooming him to be Frank Ragnow’s replacement one day.
After Ragnow announced his retirement on Instagram, that day could be now.
Ratledge played first-team center in the Lions’ open organized team activities practice last week and is one of the leading candidates to fill that hole on the Lions’ offensive line this fall.
“He’s got a little bit more versatility,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said on draft night. “He rose more as the process went along because of his versatility that we were able to find out a little bit more about. So I thought that he just would fit in just like a glove here.”
At 6 feet 6½ and 308 pounds, Ratledge is big for a center but similar in size to Ragnow, who made four Pro Bowls in his seven seasons with the Lions and at 6 feet 5 and 310 pounds was a second-team All-Pro selection a year ago.
More: Detroit Lions 2025 NFL Draft pick Tate Ratledge: 'I couldn't ask for a better team'
Ratledge played in one game as a backup right guard at Georgia in 2020, started one game there before suffering a season-ending foot injury in 2021 and was a fixture at the position for the Bulldogs the past three seasons.
He said at rookie minicamp in May he was enjoying his first extended action at center, a position he had worked occasionally at in practice.
“It’s different from guard of course, but I’m glad I’ve had prior experience, too, playing center so it’s nothing brand new to me,” Ratledge said. “So coming back out here and getting in the feel of it. But as far as center goes, you’re taking control of the offensive line so I kind of like that aspect of it.”
Ragnow excelled as both a run and pass blocker, but he set himself apart as one of the game’s best centers for his mind. A first-round pick for the Lions in 2018, he was instrumental in making line calls and identifying blitzes during his seven seasons with the team, and his experience up front will be impossible to replace.
Holmes touted Ratledge’s toughness, willingness to play through injury and success against SEC competition on draft night, and in comparing him to second-year guard Christian Mahogany mentioned his intelligence, too.
“Tate fits what we’re looking for,” Holmes said. “He plays the game the right way. He’s tough, he’s physical, he’s a lot more athletic than you may think, and he’s got a lot more versatility than people may realize. And that’s really when he really, really rose through the process for us. But yeah, those guys fit. They’re smart, they’re tough, they’re gritty, and they play our style of ball.”
Ratledge has a ways to go to win the starting center job this fall for a veteran Lions team that had the highest-scoring offense in the NFL last season and returns three starters on the offensive line in right tackle Penei Sewell, left tackle Taylor Decker and guard Graham Glasgow.
Glasgow, who made 16 starts at left guard for the Lions last season and played right guard in 2023, is the most experienced center on the roster, having started games at the position for the Lions (all of 2018) and Denver Broncos. He played left guard in the Lions’ open practice last week.
Kingsley Eguakun, who started parts of three seasons at center at Florida, spent last season on the Lions’ practice squad, and Colby Sorsdal and Michael Niese also took center snaps in the Lions’ open OTA.
The Lions, though, seem intent on giving Ratledge a long look at the position – he took both first- and second-team center reps during the team’s installation period in their open OTA – and it’s not far-fetched to think they could turn the pivot over to him this fall.
Ratledge said at rookie camp he was “learning the basics, learning the playbook, trying to get everything down at every position I can, putting myself in the best spot to compete.”
“You got to see a lot more (at center),” Ratledge said. “You got to know the safety rotation and stuff like that, know where the point’s going. At guard, most of the time you’re listening to the center tell you where to go. At center, like I said, you’re telling everybody else where to go.”
Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley was noncommittal last month when asked about his plans for Ratledge. He called the rookie “an interior player” and talked about crosstraining all of his lineman. He said Ratledge was willing to play whatever position the Lions needed him at most. And may have dropped a hint about Ratledge's future, too.
“He definitely needs some time (at center) training,” Fraley said. “It's going to become natural for him. I thought what he did in rookie minicamp was pretty good for handling that.
“Our centers, like across the whole league, they do a lot, they have a lot on their plates. They're like quarterbacks on that O-line. They set a lot of the protections, a lot of the calls and they work one-on-one with the QB. So in time he's going to get it down and become a pretty good center here.”
Dave Birkett is the author of the book, "Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline." Order your copy here. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Lions may turn to rookie Tate Ratledge to replace Frank Ragnow
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Ratledge said on draft night he played left tackle in high school and saw two game reps at left guard in college. When he showed up for rookie minicamp in May, the Lions started him at center – perhaps in the hopes of grooming him to be Frank Ragnow’s replacement one day.
After Ragnow announced his retirement on Instagram, that day could be now.
Ratledge played first-team center in the Lions’ open organized team activities practice last week and is one of the leading candidates to fill that hole on the Lions’ offensive line this fall.
“He’s got a little bit more versatility,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said on draft night. “He rose more as the process went along because of his versatility that we were able to find out a little bit more about. So I thought that he just would fit in just like a glove here.”
At 6 feet 6½ and 308 pounds, Ratledge is big for a center but similar in size to Ragnow, who made four Pro Bowls in his seven seasons with the Lions and at 6 feet 5 and 310 pounds was a second-team All-Pro selection a year ago.
More: Detroit Lions 2025 NFL Draft pick Tate Ratledge: 'I couldn't ask for a better team'
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Ratledge played in one game as a backup right guard at Georgia in 2020, started one game there before suffering a season-ending foot injury in 2021 and was a fixture at the position for the Bulldogs the past three seasons.
He said at rookie minicamp in May he was enjoying his first extended action at center, a position he had worked occasionally at in practice.
“It’s different from guard of course, but I’m glad I’ve had prior experience, too, playing center so it’s nothing brand new to me,” Ratledge said. “So coming back out here and getting in the feel of it. But as far as center goes, you’re taking control of the offensive line so I kind of like that aspect of it.”
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Ragnow excelled as both a run and pass blocker, but he set himself apart as one of the game’s best centers for his mind. A first-round pick for the Lions in 2018, he was instrumental in making line calls and identifying blitzes during his seven seasons with the team, and his experience up front will be impossible to replace.
Holmes touted Ratledge’s toughness, willingness to play through injury and success against SEC competition on draft night, and in comparing him to second-year guard Christian Mahogany mentioned his intelligence, too.
“Tate fits what we’re looking for,” Holmes said. “He plays the game the right way. He’s tough, he’s physical, he’s a lot more athletic than you may think, and he’s got a lot more versatility than people may realize. And that’s really when he really, really rose through the process for us. But yeah, those guys fit. They’re smart, they’re tough, they’re gritty, and they play our style of ball.”
Ratledge has a ways to go to win the starting center job this fall for a veteran Lions team that had the highest-scoring offense in the NFL last season and returns three starters on the offensive line in right tackle Penei Sewell, left tackle Taylor Decker and guard Graham Glasgow.
You must be registered for see images attach
Glasgow, who made 16 starts at left guard for the Lions last season and played right guard in 2023, is the most experienced center on the roster, having started games at the position for the Lions (all of 2018) and Denver Broncos. He played left guard in the Lions’ open practice last week.
Kingsley Eguakun, who started parts of three seasons at center at Florida, spent last season on the Lions’ practice squad, and Colby Sorsdal and Michael Niese also took center snaps in the Lions’ open OTA.
The Lions, though, seem intent on giving Ratledge a long look at the position – he took both first- and second-team center reps during the team’s installation period in their open OTA – and it’s not far-fetched to think they could turn the pivot over to him this fall.
Ratledge said at rookie camp he was “learning the basics, learning the playbook, trying to get everything down at every position I can, putting myself in the best spot to compete.”
“You got to see a lot more (at center),” Ratledge said. “You got to know the safety rotation and stuff like that, know where the point’s going. At guard, most of the time you’re listening to the center tell you where to go. At center, like I said, you’re telling everybody else where to go.”
Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley was noncommittal last month when asked about his plans for Ratledge. He called the rookie “an interior player” and talked about crosstraining all of his lineman. He said Ratledge was willing to play whatever position the Lions needed him at most. And may have dropped a hint about Ratledge's future, too.
“He definitely needs some time (at center) training,” Fraley said. “It's going to become natural for him. I thought what he did in rookie minicamp was pretty good for handling that.
“Our centers, like across the whole league, they do a lot, they have a lot on their plates. They're like quarterbacks on that O-line. They set a lot of the protections, a lot of the calls and they work one-on-one with the QB. So in time he's going to get it down and become a pretty good center here.”
Dave Birkett is the author of the book, "Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline." Order your copy here. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Lions may turn to rookie Tate Ratledge to replace Frank Ragnow
Continue reading...
