Ravens Midseason Rookie Grades: Tyler Linderbaum leads the way

Tyler Linderbaum: A

Tyler Linderbaum was the quintessential Ravens prospect.

Baltimore took Linderbaum as the best player available with the 25th pick in the draft despite questions about his schematic fit in Baltimore’s running game.

All those questions have been resoundingly put to bed as not only has Linderbaum held his own in the run game, he is currently the number one center in ESPN’s run block win rate.

He has often served as the anchor for an offense that ranks first in rush DVOA and was perhaps the best player on the field in Baltimore’s Week 8 win against Tampa Bay.

There have been some issues in pass protection, but Baltimore’s coaching staff has done a good job putting him in good situations in the passing game, and that should as a whole be less of a concern considering pass protection was his biggest strength coming out of college.

While he will not win the award, Linderbaum has unequivocally been one of the best offensive rookies in the NFL and is once again proof of the fact that teams should adjust their schemes to fit their talent rather than the other way around.

This was an absolute home run of a pick by DeCosta, who added a player with the potential to become the best center in football to an offensive line that is already dominant when healthy.