Former Darlington Tiger and Georgia offensive lineman Tate Ratledge ('20) was selected by the Detroit Lions with the 57th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Lions traded up to select Ratledge, a 2020 Darlington graduate, with the 25th pick in the second round Friday night. The Lions gave up the Nos. 60 and 130 draft selections — their second- and fourth-round picks — for the pick it used on Ratledge and the No. 230 pick — in the seventh round — which they received from the Denver Broncos.
Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com pointed to the interior offensive line as a position of need ahead of the draft. Ratledge will join All-Pro offensive lineman Frank Ragnow and Penei Sewell.
While at Darlington, Ratledge was a multi-sport star but shined brightest on the football field. He ranked as the third-best offensive tackle in the 2020 recruiting class by 247Sports and was selected as an All-American his senior year.
At Georgia, Ratledge moved to the interior offensive line but continued to dominate. He was a two-time All-American, started 14 of 15 games in the Bulldogs’ championship-winning 2021 campaign and was named to the All-SEC first team as a senior despite missing early-season games with injury.
With the 230th pick it received in the trade to get Ratledge, Detroit selected another former Georgia Bulldog, safety Dan Jackson. It also picked former Georgia wide receiver Dominic Lovett with the 244th overall selection.
Ratledge is the first graduate of a school in Floyd County to be drafted to the NFL since Ken Irvin, a 1992 Pepperell graduate, was selected in the fourth round of the 1995 draft by the Buffalo Bills.
Ratledge’s mother, Mary Stuart Ratledge, teaches AP U.S. and European History at Armuchee High School.
This article was originally published in the Rome News-Tribune on April 25, 2025.
