Tyler Linderbaum received words of encouragement from Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.

Linderbaum, a rookie center for the Ravens, drew rave review from his head coach for being focused in practice. Harbaugh noticed how dialed in Linderbaum was with opposing defenses and how he needed to prepare.

In the 2022 NFL Draft, the Ravens moved up and selected Linderbaum with the 25th overall pick in the first-round. Linderbaum was a heralded offensive lineman in college for the Iowa Hawkeyes. In his final season at Iowa, Linderbaum won the 2021 Rimington Trophy as the best center in college football. The Ravens picked a center with a strong pedigree in college football.

His current head coach, Harbaugh, spoke about Linderbaum’s start as an NFL center:

“I would say Tyler is all ball,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said via Ravens official team site. “He doesn’t say a lot. I say, ‘Hi,’ to him, and sometimes he says, ‘Hi,’ back. Sometimes he’s in his center world thinking about blitzes.”

Harbaugh believed that Linderbaum adjusted well to life in the NFL as a rookie:

“But, I think he’s handling it well. He doesn’t make very many mistakes, so far. That’s a big challenge. That’s going to be the rookie challenge all year, as far as the mental part of it. And then, he’s thinking about when the pads come on; he wants to make sure he holds his own in there, because those big defensive tackles are going to test him. We’ll see how he does.”

Linderbaum will be a centerpiece on the Ravens’ offensive line. All first-round picks have pressure to deliver, but Linderbaum has impressed his head coach in training camp.