INDIANAPOLIS – With the uncertain future of veteran center Graham Glasgow, the Detroit Lions could be on the lookout for a new starting center next season.
The team has not ruled out the possibility of moving right guard Tate Ratledge to center in his second season. Ratledge said after the season he'd do whatever the team wants but is more comfortable at right guard.
"There's still promise for Tate to move into that position," Lions general manager Brad Holmes said this week. "I think that's the beauty of it. That's flexibility that we have."
Free agency might be the best avenue to find an immediate impact starter, but the Lions will also do their homework on the top centers available in the 2026 NFL Draft.
"There are some good guys like some third-round type players," NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said recently. "Sam Hecht from Kansas State I think can start Day 1. He probably goes in the late second and early third-round range. Jake Slaughter from Florida, I think would have a chance as a third-round pick to come in and get on the field right away."
Jeremiah also mentioned Texas A&M Trey Zuhn III as a player who could potentially move from tackle to center in the NFL and is graded in the same range as Hecht and Slaughter.
Hecht (6-4, 297) is a little undersized but is a technician at the position and can play in any scheme and has a high floor with room to add strength to his frame.
"I love pulling and getting out in space, climbing to the second level and just playing fast and showing off my athletic ability," Hecht said Saturday. "Just my consistency. I like to be very disciplined in everything I do whether it's the little things or the big things."
Slaughter (6-4, 305), a two-year captain and three-year starter with a high football IQ could fit well with a mostly veteran group on offense in Detroit.
"Something I really value in my game is my communication," Slaughter said. "Center is a very mental and cerebral position. You got to learn, you got to be able to communicate adjustments on the fly. I play my tail off for my guys. I'd say I'm far from mastering it, but I love doing it. It's really different than any other position on the offensive line. It's something I just love to do."
Iowa's Logan Jones, Auburn's Connor Lew, Duke's Brian Parker II and Alabama's Parker Brailsford are other centers Detroit could consider in Day 3 of the draft.
"I think there's a decent group of centers there," Jeremiah said. "I don't know if there's one that I would jump on the table for or take in the second round – would be a little bit of a reach there."
Whether it's free agency or the draft, the Lions are likely to add talent and competition to a position they need to get more consistent play from in 2026 to get back to being a dominant offensive line again.
