Detroit Lions: Why Frank Ragnow will enter the Pro Bowl conversation

While the Detroit Lions have a lot of steps to take to make their running game consistent, one offensive lineman can make that journey a lot easier.

The Detroit Lions have pushed more of their cards towards the running game than ever before, especially with second-year running back Kerryon Johnson showing flashes of greatness last season.

The formula for success seems to be clear for the Lions, as in the games in which Kerryon Johnson got 12 carries or more, the Lions went 4-2.

One linemen for the Lions was on the field for not only Johnson’s carries in the wins, but also every carry from every Detroit running back this season. Frank Ragnow cemented his iron-man status in his rookie season with the Lions, as he was on the field for all of the team’s 1,082 offensive snaps in 2018.

In a recent video done by former offensive linemen Brian Baldinger for NFL.com, Baldinger made it clear that the duo of Johnson and Ragnow can be a legitimate force in the running game for years to come, as all of Johnson’s biggest plays this season came from running behind the former Arkansas Razorback.

As part of a unit that was ranked in the top 10 by Pro Football Focus (PFF) for the first time in a while, Ragnow took pride in moving some of the most talented linebackers and nose tackles in the league in 2018. PFF projects the unit will take a step back in 2019, as the retirement of former Pro Bowler T.J. Lang dropped the unit’s ranking down to 15th; almost exactly average in the NFL.

PFF is currently projecting Kenny Wiggins to fill in Lang’s shoes at guard this season, but it’s not crazy to say that Ragnow can take another step forward and earn another Pro Bowl appearance for a Lions linemen.

It is likely that that Pro Bowl appearance will be at center, as that is where Ragnow has been taking most of his reps this offseason. He has in fact appeared in every first team rep this offseason at center, meaning that Head Coach Matt Patricia and Co. are trusting Ragnow to anchor the offensive line for the foreseeable future.

Ragnow is bound to play better at the center position because that’s where he succeed the most in his time at Arkansas. He saw his overall PFF grades improve significantly from a 80.6 grade at guard to a 92.5 grade at center, with steady improvement at both pass blocking (67.9 to 81.6) and run blocking (86.6 to 94.4).

He is clearly more comfortable at center when it comes to staying consistent, in terms of not allowing sacks and not giving up penalties. In his 1,242 pass blocking snaps in college at center, he did not give up a single sack, and also committed penalties a lot less than he did at guard (1 penalty every 255 snaps at center compared to one every 146.9 snaps at guard).

Being that Ragnow only played four reps at left guard in college, being thrown into that position in the pros and not missing a single snap is impressive, and with him moving back to the position he is more used to, an improvement from him in 2019 is more than inevitable.

While he did get off to a bit of a slow start last season, everything that we as Lions fans have seen so far from the former Arkansas Razorback proves that he has the potential to be an above-average linemen at any interior offensive line position.

Moving Ragnow inside gives him the chance to unlock his elite linemen potential, helping him to not only compete for a Pro Bowl invite, but also significantly improving the Lions offense to give the Motor City the offensive versatility it has lacked this entire decade.

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