Could Ratledge be the Giants’ right guard of the future?
The New York Giants’ offensive line was significantly improved for the 2024 season. However, the Giants still don’t have a true long-term answer at right guard as Greg Van Roten is a 35-year-old free agent.
Georgia right guard Tate Ratledge could be the answer. He’s highly experienced and has played 2,070 snaps over the last three seasons, 2,066 of which have come at right guard. He’s garnered a reputation as a reliable pass protector and a strong run blocker on one of the best offensive lines in the nation.
Could the Giants target Ratledge to continue building their offensive line?
Prospect: Tate Ratledge (69)
Games Watched: vs. Clemson (2024), vs. Ole Miss (2024), vs. Tennessee (2024), vs. Texas (2024)
Red Flags: Sprained MCL and sprained ankle (underwent tightrope surgery) – 2024
Measurables
Height: 6-foot-6 (estimated)
Weight: 320 pounds (estimated)
Strengths
Best traits
- Play strength
- Competitive toughness
- Technique
- Run blocking
Ratledge is a big, strong, and experienced guard prospect who boasts a number of traits that teams should covet.
Ratledge is tall for a guard at 6-foot-6, but also has adequate bulk for his height at 320 pounds (both school measurements). He carries his weight well and has enough flexibility in his lower body to maintain good pad level and leverage against interior lineman. Ratledge also has the play strength expected of a player his size, and is able to anchor against power as well as create movement in the running game.
He’s also a surprisingly good athlete, giving him the versatility to appeal to multiple schemes at the next level. Ratledge has enough hip fluidity to routinely pull or execute inside zone blocks, as well as enough foot speed to stay in phase in outside zone blocks. His size also belies surprising speed in space for a big man. He’s quick to the second level – arriving with bad intentions for linebackers or safeties – and is an effective blocker downfield on screen plays.
Ratledge has solid hand usage, allowing him to control defenders as well as effectively deal with games along the line of scrimmage. Likewise, he has solid footwork, allowing him to move laterally as well as diffuse power from bullrushes.
Finally, Ratledge plays with great competitive toughness. He consistently strives to sustain his blocks, look for work if he doesn’t have anyone to block, and finish his blocks with the defender on the ground.
Weaknesses
Worst traits
- Pad level consistency
- Explosiveness
Ratledge is a big, long guard, and while that’s an asset in many areas of his game it can also be a liability. He has to pay particular attention to maintaining his pad level on every play, and it’s apparent when he doesn’t do so.
He struggles to maintain his play strength against interior defenders when he allows his hips to rise. That either makes him vulnerable to power rushes or leads to him being stood up when run blocking. Ratledge can also be prone to lunging at defenders when he lets his knees straighten, which is usually the root cause for inaccurate blocks or whiffs at the line of scrimmage.
And while Ratledge is a very strong blocker, he doesn’t appear to be particularly explosive. He has good speed in the open field, but isn’t a “twitchy” athlete and needs a step or two to get going. Likewise, he can find himself needing to recover and re-anchor against more explosive defenders, relying on his footwork and technique to buy him time.
Teams will want to do their due diligence on the knee and ankle injuries that cost him games midseason. Ratledge suffered a sprained MCL and ankle, and underwent tightrope surgery to help facilitate healing in the ankle.
Game Tape
(Ratledge is the Georgia right guard, No. 69)
Projection
Ratledge projects as a starting guard at the NFL level, and considering almost all of his collegiate experience at right guard, that’s where he should play.
Ratledge was well coached at Georgia and doesn’t rely solely on his size and strength to overwhelm defenders. He has a solid technical foundation and understands how to rely on it to maximize his physical traits. That, of course, makes it readily apparent on those occasions when his technique fails and he loses leverage or makes an inaccurate block. Those instances are relatively uncommon, but they do show that there’s room for continued growth.
Ratledge may always be vulnerable to defenders with better natural leverage and explosiveness. That said, he also has the potential to be a good starter for a long time in the NFL.
Does he fit the Giants?
Yes
Final Word: A Day 2 value