IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum announced Friday he'll skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft.

The consensus All-American was the Big Ten's offensive lineman of the year and received the Rimington Trophy as the nation's top center. He also was a finalist for the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy.

Linderbaum started 35 consecutive games at center after arriving from Solon, Iowa, as a defensive lineman. He is projected to be a first-round draft pick and the first center selected.

“To my coaches, thank you for taking a chance on a small town Iowa kid,” Linderbaum tweeted. “Thank you for pushing me to be a great football player, but an even better man.”

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