NFL Draft
12/29/24
5 min read
Tate Ratledge 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Georgia Bulldogs OG
Height: 6060 (unofficial)
Weight: 320lbs (unofficial)
Year: Redshirt Senior
Pro Comparison: Kevin Zeitler
Scouting Overview
Georgia Bulldogs offensive guard Tate Ratledge projects as an NFL starting guard. This is a close-quarters bully who possesses great size and power for life on the interior. He pairs these elements with the needed functional athleticism to stay attached to blocks and execute most assignments effectively — making him a viable option for almost any offensive scheme.
Thanks to his pedigree at Georgia, Ratledge feels like a high-floor selection as a starter, but his lack of positional versatility and role as a guard-exclusive talent could put a glass ceiling on his draft valuation.
2025 NFL Combine Results
TBD
Positives
- Very good power at the point of attack and illustrates ability to manipulate gaps with his strength
- Proficient pass protector who offers a stout punch and heavy anchor to protect depth of the pocket
- Nasty tone setter in the trenches that plays with an intense edge
Negatives
- Can be tested by twitchy interior rushers with first step explosiveness
- Unlikely to offer positional versatility at the next level after 3 years of starting at RG for the Bulldogs
- Body control in space can result in some missed opportunities on the second level
Background
Ratledge was born in Chattanooga, TN, and played high school football for Darlington School in Rome, GA. There, he was a three-sport athlete who lettered in football, track & field, and basketball. He was accomplished in the shot put but gathered most of his accolades on the gridiron.
Ratledge was a 4-star prospect (247 Sports) who starred at offensive tackle but also collected time at defensive end and punter. He was a participant in the 2020 All-American Bowl and was named to Sports Illustrated’s First Team All-American roster in 2019.
Ratledge would go on to enroll at Georgia over Tennessee and redshirted his true freshman season in 2020. He started the season-opener at right guard for the Bulldogs against Clemson in 2021 but suffered a season-ending Lisfranc fracture in the first quarter and missed the rest of the season.
He returned in 2022 and went on to twice collect First Team All-SEC honors (2023, 2024) and was named a First-Team All-American in 2024 despite missing time with a TightRope procedure for a high ankle sprain.
Tale Of The Tape
Ratledge is a steady, physical presence on the interior for the Bulldogs. His strength profile appears to be an asset he can lean on at the NFL level, too. A three-year starter at right guard, Ratledge illustrates the ability to create space with his upper-body power and hands in drive block situations to root through the ground and create bubbles at the point of attack.
He’s a thick-framed blocker who isn’t easy to catch an edge on in the run game, and he boasts enough foot speed to mirror and stay engaged to wall-off block deconstruction attempts.
As a run blocker, he illustrates a good ability to run his feet through contact and is a prototypical drive blocker on vertical runs that hit between the tackles. He creates plenty of push in double-team opportunities and illustrates the ability to wash down defenders on an angle to help wall off and seal.
Ratledge shows effective quickness and balance when disengaging from double teams and greeting second-level defenders trying to step into the line of scrimmage and plug the run. When he latches his hands in these opportunities, he showcases good grip strength and the ability to steer defenders out of the alley.
In pass protection, Ratledge illustrates the necessary anchor to short set and maintain the depth of the pocket with high integrity. He is a load to collapse and makes life difficult for power rushers who would look to bull him back into the lap of the quarterback. There’s reasonable mobility through his hips to drop and sit down if he’s conceded first contact.
When Ratledge gets in trouble it is typically against dynamic athletes or secondary reaction opportunities in protection. He can be tested by upfield penetration, and his reaction at times is to overextend, which leaves him vulnerable of leaving the feet behind as he chases engagement or getting pulled off of his base of support.
You’ll see some instances where twist/stunt exchanges can be sloppy or late as well, although these appear to be a matter of refinement rather than a failure to successfully identify through peripheral vision.
The biggest questions Ratledge faces are less about his physical ability, however. His injury background has resulted in missed time twice in four seasons with lower-body ailments. He has played more than 2,000 snaps at right guard and only a handful at left guard throughout his time with the program. He also plays exclusively on the interior.
How NFL teams individually stack those elements against a well-rounded, sturdy blocker who plays with tone-setting power and physicality inside will be the latest litmus test of guard positional value at the NFL level.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Ratledge should be considered a viable starting candidate for any offensive system. His power and displacement ability would be best served in teams that desire to run gap schemes and between the tackles at a higher frequency — but he’s a viable protector in pass pro and has enough athleticism to climb to the second level or stretch out the point of attack. This is a viable rookie starter.
Grade: 77.50/100.00, Second Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
Make sure to check out our new home for all of our NFL Draft content.
