Detroit Might’ve Just Found Their Next Star — and Nobody’s Talking About It
Frank Ragnow’s retirement left a huge hole in the middle of Detroit’s offensive line — and most people figured the Lions would scramble to find a veteran or make a last-minute move. But nah. Turns out they might already have the answer in-house. Enter: Tate Ratledge.
Yeah, he’s a rookie. But don’t sleep — the dude’s quietly turning heads at Lions OTAs. Even with vets like Graham Glasgow and Trystan Colon around, Ratledge is the one getting most of the reps at center. That’s wild considering he’s technically a guard, but Detroit’s clearly giving him a real shot to take over one of the most important jobs on the line.
Ratledge came out of Georgia with a rep for being tough as nails — exactly the kind of player GM Brad Holmes loves. Field Yates from ESPN even said he was one of the most impactful rookies in the draft if used right. Spoiler: Detroit might be doing exactly that.
Let’s be real, offensive linemen don’t usually get a ton of hype. But when you’re lining up next to a beast like Penei Sewell, people are going to notice if you start balling out. And Ratledge might just be next up. At Georgia, he gave up only one sack in each of the past two seasons — that’s consistency, and it screams NFL-ready.
Plus, he’s not new to playing center. He’s done it before, and it sounds like he’s adjusting fast. With Kevin Zeitler gone and the Lions in need of someone to anchor that line, this could be the perfect storm for a breakout season.
So while the rest of the league is sleeping on Tate Ratledge, the Lions might be sitting on a future star — and he’s about to make a whole lot of people regret not paying attention.
