How High Can Tyler Linderbaum Go In The 2022 NFL Draft?
The NFL Draft is where ability meets value, and that determines where a player goes. How high can Tyler Linderbaum go in the 2022 draft?
Positional Value
Positional value is a topic that some people are ready to discuss, and some people are not. The positions with the most value, from greatest to lowest, are quarterback, wide receiver, cornerback, blindside tackle, and edge rusher. That is the top tier of valuable positions. If you have an elite player at those positions, the impact on your team will be much greater than an elite player at running back, guard, or safety. So how valuable is a center? In my opinion, I would place center at the top of the second tier of valuable positions. That second tier goes, center, IDL, linebacker, guard. The reason that center is at the top of that tier is because of the responsibilities of a center. They are the quarterback of the offensive line, they are responsible (in most cases) for calling protections, identifying fronts and how to block them, and also snapping the ball. You can live with a DT shooting the wrong gap, a guard missing a block, a linebacker missing a tackle, but if a center screws up a snap then the whole play is killed immediately.
Player Ability
Now, that aspect of value does not mean that any left tackle is a better addition to a team than any center. Tyler Linderbaum is a special player. Is he undersized? Sure. Do I care? Absolutely not. He can ball, turn on any game and you’ll see it. You can see on the tape that he’s a special athlete, and sure he might not be the biggest but his effort, athleticism, and play strength make up for it all. Based on his ability as a player alone, I’d happily put Linderbaum in the top ten. However, the draft is based on value and talent, so let’s see just how high Linderbaum could go.
The absolute highest I can see Linderbaum going is number six overall to the Carolina Panthers, but that is the absolute highest and not where I think he goes. I think a tackle goes there, assuming one of the big three are available, and then it would be a quarterback. I think a more realistic spot for him to go would be to the Baltimore Ravens at 14, the Steelers at 20, the Cardinals at 23, and the Cowboys at 24. If he falls past Dallas, burn it all and someone better take him and decide to figure it out later because he will be the best player available.
