#10 Tyler Linderbaum - University of Iowa Center
- 6'2"
- 295 Pounds
Career College Stats/Accolades 2018-21
- 39 Games Played - Including four games on defense
- 1x Rimington Trophy
- 1x Unanimous All-American
- 1x Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year
- 2x First-Team All-Big Ten
- 1x Honorable Mention All-Big Ten
Iowa City, Iowa. Where Tyler Linderbaum called home for four years while he attended the University of Iowa.
It is not common for a center to be super high on a list like this, but University of Iowa's center Tyler Linderbaum has a lot of talent and drafting a guy like him could potentially lock up your team's center position into the 2030's.
It's hard to say where an NFL GM should focus first when trying to develop and build a team. Perhaps it's obvious, at quarterback. But I believe there's a lot of different philosophies out there when it comes to topics like this. Some might say defense, some might say offensive line. I think it's all preference and just kind of a fun conversation.
If a GM is the type to start on the offensive line, then the question is where to begin in that position group? Tackles first is probably the most common thought there, and perhaps that is a pretty good idea. But sometimes I believe the center position is slept on greatly.
Having a good center is really important to team success and having an elite one is a real luxury.
Tyler Linderbaum shows all the signs that he can be an elite center. The flaws he does have mostly come from him being kind of undersized. That can definitely be a problem. There are some real big dudes that play defensive tackle and nose tackle in the NFL.
That being said what Linderbaum lacks in size he makes up for in athleticism and tenacity. Linderbaum is naturally just a really good athlete. He played multiple sports in high school and even started wrestling in high school. Even though he started a bit late, he became pretty accomplished at the sport and after several failed attempts prior, managed to pin current NFL player and Super Bowl Champ Tristan Wirfs in a big match. Here's a clip of that moment.
Funny enough, Wirfs and Linderbaum ended up being teammates at Iowa and there's obviously mutual respect between the two. Pretty cool to see. Wirfs speaks about Linderbaum here.
I bring up Linderbaum's athletic background and victory over Wirfs because it displays just how athletic he really is. Also, even as a heavyweight wrestler Linderbaum was often undersized, but despite that he managed to excel. These types of one on one wrestling experiences absolutely helps Linderbaum in many ways as an offensive lineman. It helps him with balance and understanding of leverage. Wrestling helps with grip strength and it simply helps Tyler deal with being undersized a lot. Linderbaum began his career at Iowa on defense, which shows how versatile he can really be.
On tape Linderbaum is super active and intelligently aggressive, tactically tenacious. He reminds me of a small rhino out there just carving out space without fear. Watching his tape felt refreshing in an odd way. He just looks like a natural center in his element.
Running the ball with Linderbaum will be like having a big fullback. He's got smooth, sure feet.
Linderbaum just turned twenty-two in April and I think the future is very bright for him. He will have a career for a long time.
I believe Linderbaum is a first rounder!
