It's no secret that the LA Chargers need to find a new starting center this offseason. The team is already flirting with the idea of converting former first-round pick Zion Johnson to center, but that cannot be the only avenue the Bolts explore.
The 2025 NFL Draft is a great place for the Chargers to find their potential starting center. Great centers often go outside the first round, with Jackson Powers-Johnson and Zach Frazier being key examples last season. It is much easier to find an impact center after the first round than it is other positions.
The center class in this year's draft is not as deep but there are several intriguing guard prospects who could potentially play the position in the NFL. One of those prospects is Tate Ratledge, who emerged as a potential Chargers draft target after his showing at the NFL Combine.
Tate Ratledge is a OG prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.97 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 5 out of 1583 OG from 1987 to 2025.
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 2, 2025
Splits projected, times unofficial.https://t.co/V69Dz7INTR pic.twitter.com/IUfa25fN7r
Tate Ratledge is a true center option for the Chargers after NFL Combine
Ratledge played guard for the Georgia Bulldogs and is projected to go on day two of the draft. Pro Football ranks Ratledge 104th on their draft big board, although that may go up after his combine showing and his versatility.
Either way, Ratledge should be in play for the Chargers with the 86th pick.
It isn't just that Ratledge tested well in various combine drills. It's the fact that NFL teams are already viewing him as a potential center candidate. Ratledge was one of few guard prospects who were asked to stay after workouts to play snaps at center.
The Georgia Bulldog has confirmed in the past that he has cross-trained at center, so this is not a newfound skill. Ratledge is not pigeonholed at the guard position, which makes him more valuable to the Chargers.
Theoretically, Los Angeles could keep Ratledge at guard if Johnson proves he can play center. But if that is not the case, the Bolts would have the backup option of playing Ratledge at center. That may not exist with other draft candidates.
Fellow Bulldog Jared Wilson also put together an exceptional showing at the NFL Combine. Wilson, though, may be pigeonholed at the center position. He does not provide the same positional versatiliy on paper, which may lead the Chargers to favor Ratledge in the draft process.
Either way, the Bolts have a new center candidate to add to the existing list of names. Don't be surprised if Ratledge's name is called by the Bolts on day two of the 2025 NFL Draft.