A Vikings Draft Collaboration

The Vikings enter this year’s draft with many possibilities. If they take Derek Stingley Jr., it could give them a shutdown corner. If Kyle Hamilton falls, he could be an elite tag-team partner for Harrison Smith. And if Kayvon Thibodeaux is available, he’s an insurance plan at edge rusher.

All of these selections would appease their fanbase. But which draft pick would trigger them the most?

An obvious candidate is Tyler Linderbaum. Drafting a center with the 12th-overall pick will give fans flashbacks of Garrett Bradbury. One look at his spider chart will give everyone a full-blown nightmare.

Linderbaum’s measurements check in smaller than Bradbury’s. His height was in the sixth percentile. His weight was in the fifth. And his wingspan and arm length are in the first. After being unable to work out at the combine due to a foot injury, there’s no bench-press number to justify this pick.

Even Linderbaum’s scouting report suggests that Kenny Clark will eat this man’s soul alive.

“His size will make block finishing somewhat hit or miss, and he will need help against some of the bigger defenders lining up across from him,” NFL.com’s Lance Zuerlein wrote. “Teams with certain size standards will pass on him, but his tenacity and talent make him a can’t-miss prospect if matched in the right scheme.”

For what it’s worth, Austin Corbett started at center for Kevin O’Connell and the Los Angeles Rams. At 6’4″, 306 lbs., it doesn’t seem like Linderbaum would be a guy the Vikings would covet at 12. But it also would be an understandable pick.

At 22 years old, Linderbaum is two years younger than Bradbury was when he was drafted. Taking him could be an avenue to add strength and become a better pass protector. With a healthier set of knees than J.C. Tretter, Linderbaum could be a long-term solution at center. Fans would grit their teeth. But they would at least understand.

Tyler Linderbaum was once known as one of the best wrestlers in the state of Iowa and a pro when it came to chucking hay bales at the annual Solon Beef Days Celebration. Now, the 6-foot-2, 302-pounder is known as something else — the best center prospect PFF has ever graded.

Linderbaum was a four-sport athlete at Solon High School before he enrolled at Iowa as an interior defensive lineman in 2018. A year later, he moved to center, where he started 35 consecutive games and finished the season as the fifth-highest-graded player at the position. He then took the top spot in 2020 and 2021, with that final season earning the highest grade PFF for a center in the PFF College era.

Highest-graded season by a Power Five center in the PFF College era (since 2014)

Player, Team (Season) PFF Grade

Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa Hawkeyes (‘21) 95.4
Austin Blythe, Iowa Hawkeyes (‘14) 94.4
Frank Ragnow, Arkansas Razorbacks (‘16) 92.3
Matt Skura, Duke Blue Devils (‘15) 92.2
Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa Hawkeyes (‘20) 91.5

Given his meteoric rise, one could reasonably assume that the Rimmington Trophy winner is destined to be among the first prospects off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft. But, in reality, that’s not likely to be the case.

Right now, mock drafts from all over have the former Hawkeye slotted near the end of the first round, and some even have him sliding out of Day 1 altogether. Meanwhile, the betting markets have his draft position set at 27.5 with a slight lean toward the under.

WHY IS ONE OF THE BEST DRAFT PROSPECTS IN THE CLASS EXPECTED TO GO SO LATE?
Well, there are a couple of reasons. Firstly, there’s the wide-held belief that center is not a valuable position, which is why teams seldom invest valuable capital in the position.

Of course, that belief is only partly true: While centers are certainly not as valuable as quarterbacks or wide receivers, they do generate just as much value as tackles in the NFL, according to PFF Wins Above Replacement (WAR). Yet, even though the data suggests otherwise, the idea that center isn’t as valuable as offensive tackle has long permeated through league circles, evidenced by the massive disparity in player pay at the two positions.

Secondly, there are concerns about Linderbaum's fit and the league-wide need at the position, which are far more valid reasons than the argument on positional value.

The “problem” here is that the Iowa product's skill set is best suited for a zone offense. The 302-pound center is undersized but ultra-athletic, and Iowa’s scheme was tailor-made for what he brought to the table. The called zone-blocking run concepts on around three-quarters of their running plays, and he earned a 96.1 run-block grade on those plays — the highest mark in the Power Five by multiple grading points.

The 22-year-old is not going to run zone that often in the NFL, but he can maximize his impact in the league if he can land with an offense that likes to call those runs. The issue here is that not all of them do.

And then there is the fact that there really isn’t a pressing need for a zone center across the NFL. Sure, the unanimous All-American looks like a promising upgrade over many of the players holding on to those jobs right now, but most of those teams should — and are likely to — be more willing to upgrade at more important positions, whether it is wide receiver, cornerback or edge defender.

So, here we are.

The big question with Linderbaum is the size. His anchor or length wasn’t an issue at Iowa, but will it be in the NFL?

His height, weight and arm length (31.125 inches) are all under the 20th percentile among center prospects historically. Yet, personally, I don’t think his frame will derail his NFL performance any more than it did at Iowa — which wasn’t often.

At the end of the day, the only justifiable reasons NFL teams should pass on Linderbaum in Round 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft are fit and lack of need: He’s not going to be a gap scheme offense's cup of tea, there are only 32 starting centers in the NFL, and there are only so many offenses predicated on zone run concepts that need to upgrade at the position.

And so he will likely fall. However, he has the polish and elite athleticism to overcome his below-average frame regardless of where he lands, but within the right system — like the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 31 overall — he has genuine All-Pro potential.