Detroit Lions 2018 NFL Draft: First round analysis of Frank Ragnow

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ARLINGTON, TX – APRIL 26: A general view of AT&T Stadium prior to the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Verdict

Let’s analyze the newest Lion. As expected, Quinn stuck with his penchant for Power Five players who have produced. Ragnow was considered to be one of the top couple centers available, and he can also play guard. At 6-5, 312 pounds, with good burst and athleticism , Ragnow was mentioned as a riser throughout the pre-draft process.

This pick makes sense because Ragnow offers some position flexibility and fills a need. Not only that, the pass rushers, except for Harold Landry, had all been taken. Ragnow had some injury problems, but he played in 42 games with 33 starts in his Arkansas Razorbacks career. He has been compared to Alex Mack, the Pro-Bowl center from the Atlanta Falcons.

Ragnow was ranked as a second round pick by NFL Draft Scout, and most centers and interior linemen do not usually go quite as high as pick twenty. Only three offensive linemen were selected prior. Quenton Nelson, a guard, Mike McGlinchey, tackle, and Kolton Miller, tackle, were the men who went ahead of Ragnow, in order.

It is uncommon for a guard to set himself apart enough due to their more common skillset. Obviously, Ragnow impressed Bob Quinn and company enough to pass up on running backs, tackles, and other prospects who were rated higher coming into the draft.

Take a long view

What makes any instant analysis difficult is that players often do not pan out right away. It is often three to four years until you can see how good a pick really was. What we can do is look at the roster, look at where we appear to need help, and ask if we provided that help.

In this case we definitely filled a hole. Both the run game and pass protection needed talent added to fix production issues. Although I thought that Ragnow was a bit of a reach, there were no clear have-to options. I cannot argue with the idea of solidifying the offensive line, though.

Next: Detroit Lions: 15 best first-round draft picks of all-time

If you were in charge, who would you have taken? Let me know in the comments section. Follow me on Twitter, CoachKirk @mkirk2 for more Detroit sports content.

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