The NFL season is set to begin this weekend and former Georgia Bulldogs are ready to dominate the league just like they did last year. This includes a few Bulldogs who are rookies and entering their first seasons in the NFL.
One player Georgia fans will want to keep an especially close eye on this year is offensive lineman Tate Ratledge. Ratledge was selected 57th overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he was not expected to become a starter this season at the time. That however quickly changed as veteran Lion Frank Ragnow unexpectedly announced his retirement this offseason.
This opened the door for Ratledge to compete for a starting job this season, which was not going to be handed to him.
Fast forward to this week and the Lions just released their first depth chart entering the 2025 season, and Ratledge was listed as the starting right guard for Detroit.
Lions first unofficial depth chart!!
— SleeperLions (@SleeperDetroit) September 3, 2025
Tyleik Williams and Tate Ratledge both in starting roles 🫣
What do you notice? ⬇️#OnePride pic.twitter.com/ziVsSpYkma
Frank Ragnow has be handed the keys and is expected to not skip a beat
It's impossible to state just how massive this opportunity is for Ratledge. Ratledge is joining a Detroit Lions team who has had one of the top offensive lines in the NFL for the past few seasons. This is arguably the biggest reason why the Lions have won the NFC North two years in a row, and Detroit has no plans of ending that streak this season.
While this is a great oppotunity for Ratledge to play for one of the best teams in the league, there is a lot of pressure on him to excel right away. Ragnow was an All-Pro lineman for Detroit, so his retirement has caused some major concerns for Detroit's offensive line this season. Those are huge shoes Ratledge needs to fill, and if Detroit is going to be successful this season he is going to have to fill them as best he can.
Georgia fans know that Ratledge is more than up for the challenge, and Detroit fans will soon learn how elite of a competitor he is and how he will help keep Detroit's offensive line operating at the top of the NFL.
Ratledge's first game with Detroit will take place on Sunday, Sep. 7 at 4:25 pm EST against the Green Bay Packers.