Tate Ratledge is ready to roar in the NFL, and it seems the former Georgia football team captain couldn’t have landed in a better situation.

The Detroit Lions, coming off back-to-back NFL playoff appearances for the first time in 30 years, strengthened their offensive line by selecting Ratledge in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft last Friday.

For Ratledge, who started 37 games at Georgia, it seems like a situation that was meant to be.

“There is actually a tattoo of a lion on my forearm — that kind of came full circle, and I didn’t even process that until now, a foreshadow,” Ratledge said during his post-draft video interview.

“I think Lions are the king of the jungle for a reason, just their mentality, their attitude, the way they go about their whole life,” Ratledge said. “I think it’s something that I kind of attach my lifestyle to, that mentality of never satisfied, never quits.”

No doubt, Ratledge paid his dues playing in one of the most physical and intense environments in college football over the past five seasons.

Ratledge has already lined up against some of the NFL’s best defensive linemen on a daily basis while developing into an elite player, himself, at Georgia.

Ratledge took on the likes of future NFL first-round picks Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Devonte Wyatt, Nolan Smith and Travon Walker while with the Bulldogs.

And now Ratledge, a former college All-American and Top 50 prep prospect from the Darlington School in Rome, Ga., is ready to mix it up alongside the best.

“(Detroit) has had one of the best offensive lines in the league for a while now, the way they play, they’re physical, they’re tough and play fast,” Ratledge said. “The tape, I watch a decent bit, (and) just watching them play and seeing how they play, and what I can do.”

Ratledge’s athleticism is impressive, to the extent he had the highest overall athleticism rate at the NFL combine, per NFL.com’s NextGen Stats Score Breakdown.

Ratledge, at 6-foot-6 an 308 pounds, ran a 4.97-second time in the 40-yard dash and did a 32-inch vertical jump in Indianapolis.

The football film was already in the books for the Lions, as general manager Brad Holmes explained.

“Tate fits what we’re looking for, whether he’s got his mullet or not, he plays the game the right way,” Holmes said. “He’s tough, he’s physical, he’s a lot more athletic than you may think, and he has a lot more versatility than people may realize.”

Ratledge has done his scouting, too, and will go into the Detroit locker room with inherent respect for head coach Dan Campbell.

“What Coach Smart and Coach Campbell believe in, they are right in line with each other,” Ratledge said. “They both believe in physical football players, tough football players, smart football players ….

“That’s the area I fit in and I’m excited to get up there.”