Washington Commanders select Ricky Stromberg in third round of 2023 NFL Draft

The Washington Commanders are expecting former Arkansas star Ricky Stromberg to come in and be productive for them along the offensive line for the next few years. That’s why they picked him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The former Arkansas center was one of the most gifted offensive linemen in all of college football during his four-years with the Hogs.

Stromberg started all 12 games during his senior season to extend his streak of consecutive starts to 25. He started 44 games during his prolific career with the Hogs, wrapping it up with honorable mention All-American honors from Pro Football Focus during his final year. The 6-foot-3, 306-pound offensive lineman also became just the third player in Arkansas program history to win the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy, annually awarded to the league’s best offensive lineman. He earned first team All-SEC honors from multiple media outlets his senior year, including the Associated Press, PFF, and USA Today. Stromberg did not allow a sack or a hit on the quarterback his senior year, according to Pro Football Focus. He only allowed four sacks during his four seasons with the Hogs.

He helped pave the way for one of the most prolific offenses in Arkansas football history during the 2022 campaign. The Razorbacks gained 6,128 total offensive yards, becoming just the third offense in school history to rack up more than 6,000 total yards. The Hogs’ ground attack was near unstoppable, rushing for over 200 yards in nine games during the 2022 campaign. For his efforts, Stromberg certainly racked up plenty of accolades, including SEC offensive lineman of the Week honors two different times throughout the season.

In 2021 as a junior, the gifted center anchored the Hogs’ offensive line yet again, and they averaged 227.8 rushing yards per game (leading all Power Five schools). He earned second-team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press. Stromberg cleared the path for four Razorback players to rush for at least 500 yards, something that hadn’t been accomplished at Arkansas since 1975. According to Pro Football Focus, he only allowed three sacks all season, even though he logged 873 total snaps. Stromberg saw plenty of action during his freshman and sophomore seasons at Arkansas. During his sophomore season, he only allowed one sack in 355 pass blocking plays. He started 11 games his freshman season and didn’t allow a single sack in 417 pass protection snaps.

He played his high school football for Union High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Stromberg flew under the radar nationally in the 2019 recruiting cycle. He was rated as the No. 515 overall prospect in the nation and a three-star recruit, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He played on both sides of the football, but spent most of his time along the offensive line, where he was named the District 6A-1-2 Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2018.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Ricky Stromberg

NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein recently broke down Stromberg’s skill set in his scouting profile on him on the NFL’s website. While he certainly pointed out plenty of negatives in his game, Zierlein was also impressed with Stromberg’s “innate feel for angles and positioning.” He feels like the former Arkansas star has the chance to become a starting center in the National Football League, with the flexibility to play the guard position as well, if needed. Here’s what he had to say below.

“Center prospect with enough athleticism and strength to be considered scheme independent. Early impressions could leave evaluators unimpressed with his lack of control at times; however, his process and results should quickly grow on them,” Zierlein wrote.

“Stromberg generates decent movement at the point of attack and is well-schooled with landmarks as a zone blocker. His waist-bending causes inconsistencies with his mirror and recoveries in protection. He has an innate feel for angles and positioning that leads to some unexpected block wins. Stromberg has a chance to become a starting center with the flexibility to play guard if needed,” Zierlein wrote in his report.