Though Jacksonville’s 2014 draft class had some great selections (in terms of talent) like Allen Robinson and Telvin Smith, no player in the group has had the long-term impact with the team that center Brandon Linder had. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ third-round pick, Linder has started 79 games at center in the seven seasons since.
In 2017, the team gave him a five-year, $51.7 million contract that, at the time, was the biggest center contract in league history. There have been some bigger deals since, but his contract still ranks sixth among players at his position. Because of that, Jacksonville expects a high level of play from Linder.
According to Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield, they’re getting it. On his rankings of the top 11 centers in the NFL, Linder cracks the list at No. 10.
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Of course the bulk of attention is being paid to Trevor Lawrence right now — albeit with some reserved for Tim Tebow — but if the rookie passer is going to have a successful debut in the NFL, it will be due in large part to the men up front. Thankfully, Lawrence will have one of the league’s best centers in front of him in Brandon Linder. The center battled injuries last season, first with an ankle injury and later with a knee injury that cut his season short, but even through those struggles he performed at a high level.
An area where Linder shines is in pass protection. Over his career, he has allowed just nine sacks in over 3,300 pass protection snaps, and in 2020 he allowed just a single sack, along with three QB hurries and zero quarterback hits according to charting data from Pro Football Focus. This quick video illustrates some of his work from 2020 protecting the passer:
https://youtu.be/zQVkV33G5gQ
Linder was limited to just nine games in 2020, but his play this season will be key both in the development of Lawrence and in the establishment of the run game with James Robinson and Travis Etienne. He’s performed at a high level for a long time, and the 29-year-old should still have a lot left in him.