As the Ravens kick off Organized Team Activities this week, the competition at starting center takes center stage.
The Ravens wanted to select one of the top two centers in this year's draft, but when they were plucked earlier than expected, Baltimore decided it was best to stand-pat and see what it has in-house.
The options at the beginning of OTAs are Danny Pinter, Jovaughn Gwyn, Corey Bullock and undrafted rookie Nick Dawkins. None have extensive starting experience, but all have factors in their favor.
Pinter has the most experience. A fifth-round pick in 2020, Pinter has been a valuable five-year backup in Indianapolis, which has one of the NFL's top offensive lines. He's played in 77 games and started 10.
Pinter stands in at a well-built 6-foot-4, 306 pounds and Ravens Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator Dwayne Ledford said his film is what stood out.
"The athlete that he is and the things that you saw on tape, I'm excited," Ledford said on "The Lounge" podcast.
Gwyn has familiarity with Ledford. They spent the past three seasons together in Atlanta, meaning Gwyn knows his schemes, techniques, and philosophies.
A former seventh-round pick, Gwyn is 6-foot-2, 301 pounds. He played in all 17 games last season but only had 11 offensive snaps as a backup offensive lineman. Though Gwyn has never started a game, Ledford has seen a similar career path lead to success.
"We went through a center change in Atlanta when we had Drew Dallman and we lost Drew to free agency," Ledford said. "We had a guy there, Ryan Neuzil, who had been training for that opportunity for a while and he got an opportunity and did really well with it.
"Same thing with Jovaughn. He's been training for this opportunity for three years in Atlanta. So I'm excited to see him with the possibility to take that next step forward in his career."
Neuzil, an undrafted player from Appalachian State, took over the full-time starting job in Atlanta last season and finished as the sixth-highest graded center (one spot behind Linderbaum) in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus.
Undrafted out of Maryland in 2024, Bullock was Linderbaum's backup last year after winning the job out of training camp, where he impressed coaches and teammates. He was one of the NFL's top-graded centers last preseason, but he saw just 13 offensive snaps over the course of the regular season. At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds he offers guard versatility as well.
Dawkins is a promising undrafted rookie who was a two-year starter at Penn State and comes from athletic bloodlines. He's another bigger center at 6-foot-4, 305 pounds and comes with built-in college familiarity with first-round guard Vega Ioane.
There's a long way to go in the center competition and there's only so much that can be gleaned from trench work before the pads come on and intensity ramps up. But Ravens OTAs will give some indication of where things stand and whether Baltimore needs to add another veteran to the mix.
"I'm excited about it," Ledford said.
