Insider: The best run-blocking guard in the draft for Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have a well-documented need to improve their interior offensive line, both in pass protection and run blocking.

And after doing little to address it during free agency, they seem certain to target that area in the NFL Draft later this month.

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Most draft experts consider Alabama guard Tyler Booker and North Dakota State guard/center Grey Zabel as the top two interior offensive lineman in this year’s class. Both are typically projected to go either late in the first round or early in the second round.

But another name to keep an eye on for Seattle is 6-foot-6, 308-pound Georgia guard Tate Ratledge.

Ratledge was a three-year starter and two-time first-team All-SEC selection at right guard for the Bulldogs. He’s ranked by ESPN as the sixth-best guard and seventh-best interior offensive lineman in this draft. He’s generally projected to be a second-round pick, which could make an option for the Seahawks at either No. 50 or No. 52 overall.

He also received some lofty praise from The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner, an NFL Draft analyst who appeared on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy earlier this week.

“Tate Ratledge is, I think, probably the best run-blocking guard that you’ll find in this class,” Baumgardner said. “… He’s a guy who just got everything done that was needed to get done at Georgia, all the way across the board. He was a long time starter there at Georgia. Big guy with big hands who’s very powerful and explosive off the ball. He’s just gonna win a fistfight over the ball.”

Who is Tate Ratledge?

Ratledge, a native of Rome, Georgia, was set to be the Bulldogs’ starting right guard as a true freshman in 2021, but suffered a season-ending foot injury in the opening game. He then made 36 starts at right guard over the next three seasons, including 14 starts on Georgia’s 2022 national championship team.

This past season, Ratledge ranked 12th in Pro Football Focus run block grading among guards in the Power Four conferences. He has considerable experience in zone-blocking schemes, with 500 of his 901 run-blocking snaps coming in zone, according to PFF. That would make him a great fit for new Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s zone-blocking system in Seattle.

While Baumgardner highlighted Ratledge’s run blocking, he also was regarded by PFF as one of the nation’s best pass-blocking guards. According to PFF, Ratledge allowed just two sacks and 18 total pressures over his entire college career. He ranked third among Power Five guards in PFF pass block grading in 2023 and fifth in 2022.

Ratledge missed four games this past season after having surgery to repair an ankle sprain, but he didn’t seem to show any effects of that at the NFL combine a few months ago. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.97 seconds, which ranked fourth out of 29 offensive linemen who participated. He also completed the three-cone drill in 7.38 seconds, which was the best time of any offensive lineman.

ESPN’s Matt Miller projected Seattle to take Ratledge at No. 50 overall in his latest mock draft, writing that he “showed the agility and explosive short-area quickness at the combine that are needed to excel in NFL run-blocking schemes.”

Baumgardner shares that view.

“Whether it be outside zone or you want to go back inside, I think he can handle both,” Baumgardner said. “If (the Seahawks) don’t address offensive line in the first round, he’d be a guy that’d be right there that could possibly be someone they’d look at.”

Listen to the full conversation with The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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