Rookie OL Knew Position Change Was Possibility, Learning From Glasgow

Detroit Lions offensive lineman Tate Ratledge appears poised for a big role in his debut campaign.

Drafted in the second-round of the 2025 NFL draft, the Georgia product has the skill and pedigree to contribute for an interior offensive line that was marred by departures this offseason. With Kevin Zeitler off to Tennessee and Frank Ragnow retiring, the rookie could be a big part of the Lions' succession plans.

Ratledge is getting his first taste of life in the NFL bouncing from center to guard. He took the majority of first-team reps as the pivot in the team's first three practices, but played right guard on Thursday.

After getting a taste of life as a center in the team's spring workouts, Ratledge took the break before camp and focused on getting the calls down in an effort to hit the ground running.

"This was my first offseason, technically, as an NFL player," Ratledge said. "It was a lot of diving in the playbook trying to get that down pat so when I got here I could transition pretty easily, start making points and getting everybody on the same page."

The Georgia product knew that there was a possibility he could wind up at center when he was drafted. Though he did not get any game action in the spot in his entire college career, he did play there his entire fall camp as a senior at Georgia.

As he's gained experience, he admitted that playing the pivot position has become more natural to him.

Ragnow announced his retirement during OTAs, which left the team without a four-time Pro Bowl center. However, Ratledge sounded as though he was prepared for an opportunity to take the reins.

"Yeah, I knew it was a possibility. My mindset is whatever they need me to do, I'm gonna go do. If they need me to kick out to tackle, I'm gonna go out there and try to play tackle to the best of my ability," Ratledge explained. "But yeah, I knew it was a possibility."

The leading competitor for the center position along with Ratledge is veteran Graham Glasgow, who has experience playing the position throughout his career but also could help the team at right guard.

Ratledge already views Glasgow as a mentor, stating that he can rely on the veteran to solve any problem he deals with.

"Graham's been a tremendous help, whether that be in the meeting room or on the field. He's one of those guys that I can go up and ask anything and he'll probably have an answer for me," Glasgow said. "He's been great helping me with certain looks, certain techniques. So it's been great having him to lean on."

Contract talks and camp impressions

Ratledge was sporting a new tattoo on his left arm of popular actor John Wayne, and said he got it as a tribute to the time he used to spend watching Wayne's films as a kid with his father.

He was the last rookie to sign within Detroit's draft class, as many second-round picks waited until right before camp due to the market being set with fully guaranteed contracts. Ratledge did not wind up getting a fully guaranteed deal, and referred questions about the market to his agent.

"I don't know, I don't really want to get into that, I leave it up to my agent," Ratledge said. "But good for the guys that did. It's awesome. Nothing in this game's guaranteed, I've been in positions where my season' ended in one snap. So it's great to get guaranteed money."

Detroit's initial training camp practices have been intense and physical, even without pads. The rookie likened it to his experiences at Georgia, noting that Dan Campbell calming the team down is similar to what he saw while playing for Kirby Smart.

"It's a throwback to Georgia," Ratledge said. "Coach Smart would have to wind us down, we would get after it. I love seeing that."