Baltimore Ravens pick Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum with 25th pick of 2022 NFL Draft

Linderbaum becomes second Hawkeye offensive lineman in last 3 years to be taken in first round of NFL Draft

Apr. 28, 2022 9:51 pm, Updated: Apr. 29, 2022 1:23 pm

Offensive lineman Tyler Linderbaum (65) during the 2021 Iowa Hawkeyes Football Media Day at the Ronald D. and Margaret L. Kenyon Football Outdoor Practice Facility in Iowa City, Iowa, on Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Next stop, Baltimore, for Tyler Linderbaum.

The Ravens took the former Hawkeyes star — and Solon High School standout before that — with the No. 25 pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Thursday’s selection marked the 19th time that an Iowa offensive lineman has been drafted in the Kirk Ferentz era.

Linderbaum also was the second Iowa offensive lineman to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft in the last three years.

Draft experts widely considered Linderbaum to be the top center in the 2022 draft class, but there was little to no consensus on where he could be picked.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay both excluded Linderbaum from their final first-round mock drafts, but a CBS mock draft released Wednesday had him going 15th.

Linderbaum was the eighth offensive lineman taken Thursday night. He likely would’ve gone much earlier in the first round if it weren’t for having the shortest arm length of any offensive lineman at the NFL Combine.

“That’s why he dropped a bit,” Kiper said on the ESPN broadcast of the NFL Draft.

People in Iowa City aren’t too concerned about that measurement, though.

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“If you watched all 14 games, I’m sure the guy against him wasn’t thinking about his arm length when he’s getting reached,” defensive end Zach VanValkenburg told The Gazette last month.

Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Tyler Linderbaum (65) ties the shoe of Aribella Rivera after going down the slide at the Citrus Bowl Kids Day on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, at Fun Spot in Orlando, Fla. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

At No. 25, Spotrac projected Linderbaum to sign a four-year, $13.2 million contract.

Linderbaum will move on to the NFL chapter of his football career after a junior season at Iowa that included no shortage of accolades.

He was a unanimous All-American, the Rimington Trophy winner and an Outland Trophy finalist.

Looking ahead, Linderbaum will join a Ravens team that finished 8-9 in 2021.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta spoke highly of Linderbaum at the NFL Combine, saying he has a lot of the “same qualities” as Iowa alum and former Raven Marshal Yanda.

“Tough. Gritty. Very, very athletic. Very, very intelligent. Smart,” DeCosta said.