From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Georgia OG Tate Ratledge.
#69 TATE RATLEDGE/OG GEORGIA – 6-6, 320 POUNDS
-2025 Senior Bowl Invite (DNP)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Tate Ratledge | 6-6/320 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
THE GOOD
– Great size and powerful frame
– Quick out of his stance, good reaction to snap count
– Good play strength with particularly powerful hips
– Keeps a wide base to help maintain power in his anchor, and his drive blocks
– Solid anchor with efficient footwork to give up minimal ground
– Solid overall athletic ability with good lateral agility
– Good nasty demeanor that is needed for guard — highly competitive and finishes plays
– His punch is powerful and neutralizes power when his placement is correct
THE BAD
– Punch placement tends to be a bit wide, and he keeps his elbows too wide by default, which gives up his chest
– Tends to play a bit tall at times, losing his knee bend and limiting power
– Adequate latch strength, stronger DTs can break away from his blocks
– Hand placement and footwork when reach blocking is inconsistent, he isn’t able to consistently get his body around to seal off defenders
– Inconsistent at fitting into his blocks when climbing to the second level, takes poor angles
– Drops his head and lunges in space when pulling or climbing, leading to whiffs
BIO
– Originally a five-star prospect out of Darlington High School in Rome, Ga.
– Was a high school All-American and the No. 38 overall prospect in 2019
– 23 years old, turns 24 in April
– Five years spent at Georgia with 38 games played and 36 starts
– Played 2,077 snaps at right guard and four at left guard
– Had five penalties called on him in his career
– Allowed two sacks and 18 total pressures in 1,180 pass-blocking snaps per PFF
– Won two national championships, contributing to 2022 far more than 2021
– Missed 14 games with a Lisfranc foot injury in 2021
– Missed one game each with an undisclosed injury in 2022 and 2023
– Missed four games in 2024 with a sprained MCL and ankle in 2024
– Second-team All-American in 2023 and third-team All-American in 2024
– Placed third in the shot put state championship in 2019, seventh in 2018
– His father, Dean Ratledge, briefly played in the NFL in the late 70s.
– Given “Chuck” nickname after UFC legend Chuck Liddell from former teammate Sedrick Van Pran-Granger due to his mustache
– Also played high school basketball
TAPE BREAKDOWN
There is no doubt that Ratledge has impressive power. When things go right, he generates a ton of power through his hips and leg drive and can create a healthy amount of displacement for wide rushing lanes. He also had that nasty demeanor that you look for in guards. He tries his best to end each rep with a pancake.
Ratledge’s first step and snap timing are excellent, but he struggles to reach blocks at times due to issues with punch placement and latch strength.
For similar reasons, he is hit or miss when moving out in space. His athleticism isn’t in question, but he sometimes takes poor angles and doesn’t fit into his blocks at the second level well. He also tends to drop his head and lunge or lean into blocks in space, which can lead to some whiffs against better defensive linemen.
His anchor is powerful, especially when he gets his hands in the right place. His punches are powerful and help neutralize the bull rush. He keeps a wide base and uses a combination of short, choppy steps and hop steps to slow down power moves effectively.
When things don’t go well for him, it’s usually because his elbows are too wide, and his punch ends up outside the defender’s frame. He will give up his chest and get blown back, or he will get a little grabby, which can lead to penalties.
Ratledge can get caught trying to do too much at times. In this play, he tried to peel off his block to get the ILB at the last second, further clogging up the hole. Perhaps he realized he was meant to climb to that ILB in the first place, but further clogging up the intended hole isn’t ideal. There are some other mental processing errors throughout his tape, but it usually boils down to trying to do too much, which is preferable to the other side of that coin.
CONCLUSION
Ratledge has the size, power, and athleticism to be a solid starter in the NFL. Still, his experience all comes at guard, and he will need to get more consistent with his pad level and hand placement to hold up against the fast and powerful defensive tackles in the NFL. When everything goes right, he is very hard to move back into the pocket, and he can displace defenders to create running lanes. He has the athleticism and power to play in any scheme, but his current technique has him better suited for a gap-based run scheme where he can play big-on-big and win in a phone booth. With some technique work, he can be just as effective in a zone offense that has him playing in space a bit more.
I’ll give him a second-round grade, but guards often get pushed down a bit. He could easily be a great value in the third.
My pro comparison for Ratledge is current Steelers OG Mason McCormick. He is a slightly bigger and more refined version coming out with similar playstyle and physical traits.
Projection: Mid-Late Day 2
Depot Draft Grade: 8.1 – Second Round (Future Quality Starter)
Games Watched: Kentucky (2024), Texas (2024), Alabama (2023), Auburn (2023)
