Tyler Linderbaum conducts individual pro day, earns high marks in three-cone drill, shuttle run

Unanimous All-American participates in pre-draft drills after missing NFL Combine, Iowa’s pro day

Apr. 11, 2022 5:17 pm, Updated: Apr. 12, 2022 11:57 am

Iowa offensive lineman Tyler Linderbaum watches a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, March 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

IOWA CITY — Former Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum finally had his chance to show NFL scouts what he can do in the traditional pre-draft drills Monday.

The unanimous All-American held his own pro day at Iowa’s practice facility Monday after being unable to participate in drills at the NFL Combine and later at Iowa’s pro day.

Linderbaum said last month that his mid-foot sprain from the Citrus Bowl kept him from participating in the combine.

“It’s all healthy now,” Linderbaum said at the NFL Combine. “I just haven’t done enough training on it to compete here at the combine.”

His times Monday in the three-cone drill and the shuttle run — 7.14 and 4.38 seconds, respectively — were significantly better than any center at the NFL Combine, according to numbers released by the team on social media.

Other numbers were on par for other upper-tier centers at the NFL Combine.

His 4.98-second 40-yard dash was third behind Nebraska’s Cameron Jurgens and Wake Forest’s Zach Tom, based on NFL Combine data compiled by Pro Football Reference and analyzed by The Gazette.

Linderbaum’s 32 1/2-inch vertical jump Monday was second among centers to Tom’s 33-inch vertical. His 110 1/2-inch broad jump was fifth among centers.

NFL teams may be going off slightly different numbers for some of Linderbaum’s drills, depending on how they timed it Monday.

It’s unclear how many NFL scouts were in attendance for Monday’s workout. Thirty-one NFL teams had representatives at Iowa’s full pro day on March 21, with the only exception being the Los Angeles Rams.

The Solon native is widely considered the top center in the 2022 draft class and a projected first round pick.

Recent mock drafts have mixed opinions on where in the first round Linderbaum will go. On the same day that CBS released a mock draft projecting him to be picked 31st, an SB Nation mock draft had him going 14th.

As of Monday, ESPN ranked Linderbaum as the 18th-best overall prospect in the draft. No other center was in ESPN’s top 90.

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