Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum was recently recognized as Pro Football Focus’ Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. He earned a 95.3 overall grade, which was the highest ever PFF grade for a center in a Power Five conference. In 2020, he allowed only three QB pressures in 280 pass-blocking snaps, and he has continued his excellent performance into this year as well. With that said, let’s dive into some tape from Linderbaum’s game against Iowa State.
PASS BLOCKING:
In this first clip, the Iowa State defense sends three pass rushers and leaves everyone else in coverage, leaving Linderbaum (#65) in a one-on-one situation with the nose tackle (#56).
He is able to win this rep with outstanding arm and hand movement to erase any potential leverage that the opposing defensive lineman would be able to get. First, he extends his left arm to make the initial block. When the DL begins to maneuver around the block, Linderbaum then extends his free right arm into the DL’s open shoulder, regaining the lost leverage created as a result of such a concentrated initial block.
Being undersized compared to the average offensive lineman, Linderbaum needs to generate enough force to block from somewhere, and he does so by quickly flipping his hips. He combines this with his decent lower-body strength, which he has to begin with.
The clip above demonstrates the one drawback to Linderbaum’s style of pass protection that was noticeable while watching the tape from this game. Sometimes, he generates so much forward force from his hips that he loses his balance and winds up falling forwards.
The good news for Linderbaum is that, by the time the rusher gets past him, the QB either already has the ball out or has enough time to get the ball out before the rusher gets home. So, while Linderbaum does eventually get beat, it happens late enough in the rep that a QB with a reasonable average time to throw won’t have to worry about getting pressured.
RUN BLOCKING:
Linderbaum’s use of his hips is a key component to his success as a pass blocker, and that’s also the case for his run blocking. In the clip above, the protection is designed to slide to the left (the same direction as the run), so he is initially blocking at an angle. However, when the running back breaks outside, Linderbaum’s ability to slide his feet back and turn his hips around extremely quickly allows him to adjust his body angle to face straight. As a result, the defender that beats the left guard can’t set the edge and blow up the run, which winds up becoming a decent positive gain.
Linderbaum’s high-level athleticism when run blocking is extremely appealing. Zone blocking schemes, in particular, are highly dependent on offensive linemen who can reach the second level extremely quickly with high burst and explosiveness, which he does in the play clipped above.
What Linderbaum lacks in size, he makes up for in toughness and physicality, especially in his run blocking. In this play, he easily picks up the box safety helping out in run support, constantly churning his feet and dragging him a good four yards back vertically and far away from the play even after the running back is already down.
CONCLUSION:
Tyler Linderbaum flashed both first-round worthy pass blocking and run blocking. Iowa State’s defensive approach of sending three pass rushers provided lots of opportunities to test him in true one-on-one pass blocking situations, which he largely excelled in. Linderbaum’s quickness and finishing in his run blocks were also extremely impressive. He has both the athleticism and the technique to minimize his few weaknesses, which makes him a special and well-rounded prospect with high hopes of doing very well at the NFL level.
Sources/Works Cited
- Featured Image: https://madison.com/wsj/sports/college/football/why-iowas-playmaker-center-tyler-linderbaum-is-a-challenge-for-the-badgers/article_5a375b7d-27b7-5cc7-a948-72ca9e683fd5.html
- https://247sports.com/college/iowa/Article/Tyler-Linderbaum-Iowa-Hawkeyes-Football-2022-NFL-Mock-Draft-Kirk-Ferentz-165916507/
- https://www.pff.com/college/grades/position/c
- https://www.pff.com/news/college-football-2021-all-big-ten-b1g-team-offensive-defensive-player-of-the-year-aidan-hutchinson-michigan-tyler-linderbaum-iowa
- Tape from the game originally broadcast on ABC.
Edited By: Rupayan “Abs” Samanta.
