The final day of media sessions at the NFL Combine was for the offensive line prospects. I was told it’s arguably the best day of the NFL Combine week, not only because offensive linemen can be highly entertaining, but because much of the media clears out, and it gives you a chance to ask more questions and get more information.
Both of those things turned out to be true.
Here are some details of conversations I had with five different offensive linemen during Saturday’s media availability.
Check out the previous installments of my NFL Combine media recaps here:
Offensive linemen
Texas OL Cameron Williams
Obviously, the ability to speak in front of the media is low on the priority list when it comes to evaluating the value of an NFL Draft prospect, but Williams’ sessions was pretty rough. He provided a lot of one-sentence answers, and often responded with “I don’t know.” The NFL Combine is an exhausting process and he was one of the first interviews of the day of an early morning. So maybe he was tired, maybe he’s just not a super energetic guy to begin with. Neither is a sufficient reason to pass on drafting the guy, but since my major goal in talking to these players was to come out with a character evaluation, I left Williams’ presser wanting more.
That said, Williams displayed a lot of grit throughout the football season. He said he was dealing with a knee injury all season that caused his knee to lock up several times throughout the year. He opted to get offseason surgery this offseason, which is why he will not do any on-field drills at the Combine.
“I just never thought about,” Williams told me about managing the injury during the season. “Every time it would lock up on me, I would stand still, try to straighten it out, then I’d be back better.”
Williams is big and long (6-foot-5, 335 pounds)—which gives an NFL coach great tools to work with—but he’ll have to answer some movement skills questions during his pro day.
USC C Jonah Monheim
I wasn’t too familiar with Monheim before attending his press conference, but I could immediately tell this guy has the smarts to play center. He was asked to identify a play where his film work paid off, and he immediately recalled a play from 2022 against Fresno State where the team was able to identify a blitz pre-snap, they audibled to a run play, and it resulted in a 35-yard touchdown. [He gets docked a half-point because it was a 25-yard touchdown—note: Monheim was playing right tackle at the time, and provides a key block on the play (No. 79)]
The first player Monheim says he watches in the film room is Lions center Frank Ragnow, and he overlapped with Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, noting that his leadership and “second-to-none” work ethic helped him as a young player.
Monheim, a two-time USC captain, just screams leadership. His answer to a pretty boilerplate “why do you play football” question was one unlike anyone I’ve heard.
“There is obviously extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation. At the end of the day, I think the reason that I get up and the reason I do all of these things is to be the best and not let the people around you down. It’s to let all of your teammates, all of your coaches, everyone else that pours into you, all your family, and everyone that’s helped you to this point to make them proud, not let them down, and do your job every single day for those reasons.”
In his five seasons at USC, Monheim started at every offensive line position other than left guard, but it’s easy to see why most project him as a center in the NFL—the position he played in 2024, as well.
North Dakota St OL Grey Zabel
Admittedly, I was not impartial going into Zabel’s press conference. In my early draft research, he was one of my favorites to watch. Though he’s probably a guard at the NFL level, he was just a dominant force at left tackle last season.
Right off the bat, Zabel was asked a difficult question directly regarding the Lions. If he were to get drafted by Detroit, and enter a position where he wouldn’t be starting. Would he be cool with that? I thought he provided a very mature answer:
“I think the mindset coming in is you want to learn as much as you possibly can and understand that there’s a growth aspect going from college to the NFL,” Zabel said. “When you kinda come into a new ballclub, you want to learn from those vets and try to be the best player you can be and have an impact. But the competitor in me wants to go out there and play right away and start playing football because you never know when this game’s going to be taken away from you.”
That shows humbleness, knowing he’s not going to come in knowing everything in the NFL, but shows off his determination and competitive spirit by making sure we know he wants to be an NFL starter.
I also loved his answer about his own leadership style. He tapped into something I’ve heard several Lions coaches mention: adapting your leadership depending on who you’re talking to.
“You have to put in the work before you can expect to be a leader, but I’m also vocal. I like to understand how my teammates are wired, how they respond to adversity, and how to bring out the best in them. Leadership isn’t something you just walk in and have, it’s something you earn.”
And if you missed it, Zabel also had a ton of great things to say about new Lions tight ends coach Tyler Roehl.
Georgia OL Tate Ratledge
It’s hard not to be drawn in by Tate Ratledge, just from his Kenny Powers-esque style:
But what stuck out more than his mullet was how he talked about his college quarterback, Carson Beck. In college, Ratledge took it upon himself to make sure Beck was staying level-headed despite a down year last season. There was even an animated discussion on the sideline between the two, and here’s how Ratledge responded to Georgia media afterwards:
“I can kind of approach him the way other people can’t, I feel like, and get a better reaction out of him,” Ratledge said. “I kind of know how I can talk to Carson, things like that, certain situations. But that I remember was just telling him to control what he can control. And we need him in games to win them. So just keeping his head level and just try to keep him pushing through.”
At the NFL Combine, Ratledge was still defending his quarterback, calling him misunderstood.
“I knew how the way I talked to him would affect him at that time. So that was kinda my goal throughout the season: keep him as level-headed as possible,” Ratledge said. “Carson’s a great kid and very misunderstood.”
I asked Ratledge what his superpower was on the field, and got a great answer, too.
“My mental toughness. I know in the fourth quarter that you’re going to be a lot more worn down than I am.”
Alabama OL Tyler Booker
I made sure to end my Combine trip with Booker’s press conference and he did not disappoint. While he may not even be avaiable when the Lions pick at 28, Booker was a fun player to watch, and he’s an even greater person to listen to. You want to talk about grit? Here’s his answer to my question about why he loves football so much.
“Everybody loves to play football when it’s easy, but who loves to play football when it’s hard? I feel like that’s what separates the good guys from the great guys at football. And, ultimately, I just love the aggressiveness and tenacity of the game of football. It’s legal assault out there. I love football, but the brand of football that I play, I make guys not love football anymore, and I do that every day, every down by just giving them my all and letting them know I’m not going to let up. So the thing I love most about football is taking the love away from those people.”
WHEW.
Booker was also a team captain, and said the same thing about leadership that Zabel pointed out: different players require different leadership.
“You can’t lead everybody the same, just like you can’t coach everybody the same. Some guys react well when I get after them like, ‘Hey, you’re not pressing hard enough,’ but some guys will shut down when they hear that. So, first and foremost, I need to know my team. I have to have a natural love for my team, and then I’ll know the best way to lead them.”
What a press conference to end the week with.