Love him or hate him, or just find him a disappointing first-round pick, Reiff was a solid player for the Lions. In five seasons after being drafted 23rd overall in 2012, he started 69 of 77 games and every game he played in the last four seasons. He also switched to right tackle in his final season in Detroit, which was the pre-cursor fo his exit in 2017 free agency.
Stabilizing the left tackle spot is of great importance to NFL teams. The Lions, looking to improve over Reiff, took Decker No. 16 overall in 2016. He stepped right in on Matthew Stafford’s blindside, starting all 16 games as a rookie and 80 games over the last five seasons.
Decker has missed substantial chunks of time in two seasons, including last year, and he has yet to earn a Pro Bowl nod or an All-Pro team honor. But a combination of talent with a little edge to him has made him a great first-round pick for Detroit.
Ragnow was a fairly boring first-round pick (20th overall in 2018). But he started all 16 games at left guad as a rookie, before moving over to center in his second year. In 2020, was a Pro Bowler and second-team AP All-Pro. The Lions rewarded him with a nice contract last offseason.
Ragnow’s return to health, after being sidelined by turf toe four games into last season, with a key for the Lions next season. But he is in place as a current and future building block.