Field Gulls
Ratledge is one of the top guards in this year’s draft, but he comes with injury concerns.
One of my favorite times of the year is writing the NFL Draft Reports. Some of the Seattle Seahawks picks I’ve nailed down in recent years include Byron Murphy II, Christian Haynes, Tyrice Knight, Devon Witherspoon, Zach Charbonnet, Olu Oluwatimi, Kenny McIntosh, Boye Mafe, Abe Lucas, and Riq Woolen.
With the NFL Draft just a week away, we’re continuing to take closer closer looks at a host of prospects, including expected Round 1 picks all the way to Day 3/UDFA options. Today we’re reviewing Georgia guard Tate Ratledge, the only one of the trio of Bulldogs offensive linemen who has yet to have a reported official 30 visit with the Seahawks.
Let’s get to the report!
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Name: Tate Ratledge
Jersey #: 69
College: Georgia Bulldogs
Position: G
Awards: - Second-team All-American in 2023
- Third-team All-American in 2024
Class: Senior
Style: Power
Comparison: Kevin Zeitler
Projection: 3rd round
HT 6’6
WT 308 lbs
Arms: 32 1/4’’
Wingspan N/A
Hands 10 1/2”
40 yds 4.97s
10 yd split 1.72s
Short Shuttle: 4.67s
3 Cone Drill: 7.38s
VJ 32”
BJ 9’ 5’’
Bench Press N/A
Relative Athletic Score: 9.96
Tate Ratledge is an experienced guard from Georgia. He will be 24 when the season starts and his experience is reflected in his 5 years in Georgia, with 38 games (36 starts). He had over 2,070 snaps as a RG and 4 more as a LG.
He is a player with good mobility, probably coming from his background as a basketball player. Something to keep in mind is the guard’s injury history:
– Missed 14 games due to a Lisfranc foot injury in 2021;
– Missed 1 game each year due to an undisclosed injury in 2022 and 2023;
– Missed 4 games in 2024 due to a sprained MCL and ankle in 2024;
He is a strong and robust guy, solid. However, he ends up vulnerable to swim moves due to the fact that he leans too far forward at the moment of contact.
He has good mobility for a tall and heavy guy. At times he can lean forward, but overall he does a good job of staying in front of rushers.
Ratledge’s mustache shows his old school side. He is an aggressive OL with good punch, in addition to the mentality of finishing blocks.
In addition to perception, to do a good job against stunts/twists, it is necessary to know when to pass the blocker to the teammate, making the change of target. He has this good timing without compromising balance.
He has good timing for combo-blocking and executes with good synchrony. Here he manages to maintain good leverage against Deone Walker, he can control the snap and finishes the block well with aggression.
He helps the center double-team and advances to the...
