The Baltimore Ravens selected offensive lineman Garrett Dellinger from LSU in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Dellinger was at LSU from 2021-2024, playing in 41 games and logging 2,008 offensive snaps. He was a part of a unit that was a Joe Moore Offensive Line of the Year Award nominee in 2023. He played mostly left guard for the Tigers.
The Clarkston, Mich., native comes to the Ravens already having a connection to the Baltimore area. His father Matt and mother Stephanie played basketball at Towson State in the ’90s. His mom graduated from Mercy High School.
“My mom grew up in Maryland. I was born in Maryland. lived there for my first five years,” Dellinger said on Glenn Clark Radio April 30. “I remember a little, not too much. My mom’s whole entire side of the family is still there.”
Dellinger knew there was a chance the Ravens would draft him, and he’s excited for the opportunity and to be around his family.
“There were teams that had a higher pick for me, so at that point I was kind of just waiting, and when I got their phone call, I saw the 443,” Dellinger said. “My mom’s got that. My dad’s got that. My aunts and uncles had that. I already knew who it was.”
Dellinger had to wait until the third day of the draft to hear he was being drafted. While the process was stressful, Dellinger was excited to hear from the Ravens. The draft experience was a range of emotions.
“It was crazy because you’re just waiting,” Dellinger said. “You don’t know when it’s going to come. Once I got the call, I felt my whole entire body finally relax, could finally enjoy the moment. My family was with me. My girlfriend was with me. It just kind of exploded.”
Aside from being close to family, another reason why Dellinger is excited to go to Baltimore is because he’ll be playing with former LSU teammate Emery Jones Jr., who was drafted by the Ravens in the third round. Jones was also a staple of LSU’s offensive line.
“Me and Emery have been playing with each other for the past three years,” Dellinger said. “We’ve always been cool with each other. We love each other, so it’s just awesome to be able to do this process with someone I already know, so it’ll make it more comfortable. It’ll just make it a little bit easier.”
Dellinger isn’t going to take anything for granted as a seventh-round pick and is going to work hard to prove to the Ravens he deserves a roster spot.
“All I needed was a foot in, and this just gives me that foot in to show the team that I can work,” Dellinger said. “I’m going to come in and work, do my stuff. All I needed was that one chance, and they took that chance with me. So now they get a player that’s going to come in and do great things.”
Dellinger also believes he has a chip on his shoulder now. He wants to prove how great of a player he is to all the teams that didn’t draft him during the first six rounds.
“My brother, that’s the first thing he said,” Dellinger said. “He’s like, ‘What I would do is I would just make every other team pay that they didn’t take you.’ I was like, ‘True.’ I know my competition. I know what I’m worth, and I’m going to show everyone that that’s what I am.”
For more from Dellinger, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of LSU Athletics