Detroit Lions stole the hottest player in the 2018 NFL Draft
It appears the Detroit Lions stole away one the hottest prospect in the 2018 NFL Draft when they landed themselves Arkansas center Frank Ragnow.
For months, draft analysts have been trying to predict which prospects the Detroit Lions were focused in on with their first round selection (20th overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft. Names like Boston College pass rusher Harold Landry plus Alabama defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne and linebacker Rashaan Evans drew obvious connections to the Lions’ new coaching staff.
And with Detroit’s needs at running back, LSU’s Derrius Guice and Georgia’s Sony Michel were mock draft favorites. One area most draftniks ignored early for the Lions was offensive line. The main reason for that was due to the team’s previous high investments made into that positional group.
General manager Bob Quinn and company made Ohio State left tackle Taylor Decker the 16th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. The following offseason, the Lions’ brass handed out buckets of cash to sign veteran right guard T.J. Lang and right tackle Rick Wagner in free agency. With the added development of former third round selection Graham Glasgow, Detroit already had four of their five starters set.
Throw backup Joe Dahl into the mix plus the addition of free agents in center Wesley Johnson and offensive lineman Kenny Wiggins; and it appeared as if the Lions already had plenty of candidates to find their fifth Beatle.
If the Lions did choose to take an offensive lineman with their first round selection, Arkansas center Frank Ragnow was an unlikely candidate. According to Dane Brugler’s annual draft guide, Ragnow was a projected third round pick, with both Ohio State’s Billy Price and Iowa’s James Daniel ranked much higher.
NFL.com gave Ragnow a second round grade, citing his average athleticism and heavy footedness as reasons he wasn’t considered an obvious first round pick.
But one analytic site, Pro Football Focus, believed Ragnow was the best center in this draft class. And their effort to sing the praises of the unheralded Razorback coincided with his perceived rise up draft boards.
In fact, longtime NFL writer labeled Ragnow as the hottest player in the annual selection event this year, shooting up draft boards to the point were he was likely going to be the New England Patroits’ first round pick, 23rd overall.
"“The hottest player down the stretch in the draft, Arkansas guard-center Frank Ragnow, might have been a Patriot today if the Lions didn’t steal him three picks ahead of New England at 20 in round one,” wrote Peter King on MMQB.com. “He should be a three-position player (left guard, center, right guard), a luxury for new coach Matt Patricia.”"
Ragnow was also rumored to be the desired pick by the Cincinnati Bengals, who possessed the 21st pick in the first round. That was just one behind the Lions. The Bengals drafted Ohio State’s Billy Price instead.
Not only did Detroit land Ragnow in the first round, but they caught a falling star in Oregon offensive tackle Tyrell Crosby in the fifth. The offensive line in the Motor City is now overflowing with talent.
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The Detroit Lions made offensive line a priority once again when most others believed there were more pressing areas of need on their roster. The only way to know if the Lions were right in select Frank Ragnow is by playing the games. But it is crystal clear that Detroit had a very specific draft plan and stuck to it.