The Detroit Lions saw their guy and staked their claim on Friday night, trading up from the 60th overall pick to number 57 to select Georgia G Tate Ratledge. The Lions gave up picks 60 and 130 (a late fourth rounder) for picks 57 and 230 (a seventh rounder) from the Denver Broncos.

Ratledge is the fourth guard off the board this weekend, but make no mistake, the Lions are still getting an absolute mauler. Ratledge stands at 6-foot-7 and 308 pounds, almost the size of a tackle. He started 37 games at Georgia, which is an absurd number for that level of competition. That bodes well for his ability to step into an NFC North that’s loaded with talented opposing defensive linemen.

Ratledge, like any good guard, holds his own in the run game. He’s also stellar in pass protection, grading out as the fourth-highest guard in pass protection since 2022, per PFF.

Over the last two seasons, Georgia G Tate Ratledge was on the hook for just one sack and 12 total pressures over 685 pass-blocking snaps.

First Team All-American in 2024, Second Team All-American in 2023, and First Team All-SEC in both years. pic.twitter.com/k38V65HgI1

— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) April 26, 2025

From a strategy standpoint, this makes a ton of sense for the Lions. The Lions entered 2024 with Graham Glasgow and Kevin Zeitler as their starters. Glasgow struggled immensely as the season went on, to the point that some folks were calling for Christian Mahogany to start over him. They got their wish, to an extent, when Zeitler left in free agency, leaving Mahogany slated to start in his place.

Now, that picture becomes a little murky. Mahogany proved across several games in 2024 that he can hold his own as a starter. Glasgow is trending in the opposite direction. Ratledge comes in as a rookie unproven in the NFL, but quite proven at the highest level of college football. That sounds to me like a three-way battle for two starting guard spots.

Most importantly, it gives the Lions options, both now and in 2026. If Glasgow, who will be 33 this season, continues to struggle, the Lions don’t have to ride out the season with him as a starter. Should they want to move on from Glasgow at the end of the year, be it for performance or for cap reasons, the Lions are not pigeonholing themselves into reaching for a guard in free agency or the 2026 NFL Draft.

I love this pick and the value for the Lions. I’ve been anti-trading up this year, but parting ways with a late fourth-rounder to get your guy is absolutely worth it. Ratledge fills a need without it being a reach, and has the potential to start from day one if the cards fall right. In the best case scenario, he gets a year to rotate in and out as Christian Mahogany did in 2024 while he finds his footing in the NFL.

The Lions found a guy late in the second who many had as a first-round pick, who has competed against the best in college football, and is relatively pro-ready. That gets the green light from me.

My grade: A

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