The first round of the 2022 NFL draft is two days away and that means it’s time to put the finishing touches on mock drafts and player comparisons before the festivities officially get underway from Las Vegas, Nev.
Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum appears to be a likely first-round NFL draft selection. If that is indeed the case, Linderbaum would become the first Hawkeye selected in the first round since offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs was taken No. 13 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 NFL draft.
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield took a crack at player comparisons for each of the top 50 draft prospects. Farrar handled the comparisons for interior offensive linemen and his player comparison for Linderbaum was Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
Kelce was originally a sixth-round pick by the Eagles in the 2011 NFL draft. Of course, Kelce has carved out quite the career with Philadelphia. The 6-foot-3, 295 pound center has been a five-time Pro Bowl honoree (2015, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022) and a four-time AP first-team All Pro (2017, 2018, 2019, 2021). He also helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl LII championship, 41-33, over the New England Patriots.
Here’s what Farrar wrote about Linderbaum resembling Kelce.
At the scouting combine, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta compared Linderbaum to Marshal Yanda, who is a future Hall of Famer to me. I don’t quite see Yanda’s ferocious play strength in Linderbaum’s game, but he does put me very much in mind of Kelce, the five-time Pro Bowler and four-time First-Team All-Pro who has established quite a career with quickness and intelligence over root strength and power. That’s not to denigrate Kelce’s or Linderbaum’s power — it’s just a different kind of player. If you want a top-tier move center, this is your guy. – Farrar, Touchdown Wire.
If Linderbaum’s career resembles either Marshal Yanda’s or Kelce’s, then it’s safe to say he will have enjoyed a long career and racked up a nice chunk of change along the way. After redshirting in 2018, Linderbaum demonstrated his talent and durability by starting each of Iowa’s 35 games at center over the past three seasons.
Farrar and Schofield’s top five picks on Touchdown Wire were Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton, Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad Gardner, Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross, Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal and Florida State EDGE Jermaine Johnson II.
Hamilton was compared to Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James, Gardner to former Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman, Cross to Green Bay Packers offensive tackle David Bakhtiari, Neal to former Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth and Johnson II to former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Aldon Smith.
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