This summer has been busy for Lions rookie offensive lineman Tate Ratledge. Whether it be playing right guard or center, Ratledge has repped plenty with the first team offense. Finally, he got a chance to prove why the Detroit Lions traded up for him in the 2nd round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

In the Lions second preseason game of the summer, we saw Ratledge play a total of 24 offensive snaps against the Atlanta Falcons. It was a strong debut for the rookie out of Georgia as he played almost the entire first half. He was pulled near the end of the second quarter and did not return for the remainder of the game. Let’s dive into some film to see how Ratledge did in his debut for the Detroit Lions!

Starting with this first play, the Lions come out under center with their ’11’ personnel (one running back and one tight end). Highlighted as the right guard, we’ve got Tate Ratledge. Aligned across from him is a 3-technique and once the ball is snapped, he fires out of his stance and drives the defender out and away from the ball with ease. Despite playing with higher pad level, Ratledge shows good leg drive and is plenty aggressive.

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These types of blocks are all over his college tape from Georgia, so it’s positive to see it translate in his NFL debut. Lastly, let’s give a round of applause to Lions WR Tom Kennedy for his blitz pickup. He probably played some of his best football for the Lions on Friday.

Moving onto the next play, I want to highlight another strong block in the run game from Ratledge. On the play above, the Lions come out in their ’11’ personnel (one running back and one tight end) and appear to be running their Duo concept. However, they don’t necessarily go two double teams as the center doesn’t need to assist Ratledge and he begins to climb to the second level.

As for Ratledge, he shows off his strength and torques out the 3-technique aligned on his outside shoulder. This helps create a huge opening and the running back is able to burst through with ease. Regardless if it’s preseason or not, seeing this should get Lions fans excited for what could happen for the run game this upcoming season.

Lastly, I want to focus on a very good pass blocking rep from Ratledge. Looking at the play above, the Lions come out a shotgun formation with their ’11’ personnel (one running back or one tight end). On this play, you can see Ratledge highlighted at right guard and he does a great job in pass protection on this rep.

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Once the ball is snapped, he mirrors the defensive lineman cleanly. On this rep, he displays fluid feet with good weight transfer between his post foot and set foot. He may have overset slightly to the inside but I digress. In the process, he works inside and back outside to help prevent the Falcons defense executing a T/E stunt.

Overall, there’s a lot of encouraging signs on tape from Ratledge during his debut. While it was only 24 offensive snaps and primarily with or against 2nd and 3rd team players, there’s plenty to work within his game. Meanwhile, his physicality stands out and he should pair nicely with Penei Sewell on the right side of the Lions offensive line. In this game, Ratledge earned a 65.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF). For now, it was a strong debut with plenty of positive signs of improvement as the season progresses for the rookie right guard.

This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions film review: Strong preseason debut for rookie OG Tate Ratledge