4 2024 draft prospects Lions could tab as potential successor to Frank Ragnow
If the Detroit Lions are thinking about their succession plan for center Frank Ragnow, these four draft prospects make sense.
Frank Ragnow is everything the Detroit Lions (albeit the previous regime) envisioned he'd be when he was the 20th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He has become one of the best centers in the league, if not clearly the best now that Jason Kelce has retired.
But a turf toe injury that cost Ragnow the last 13 games of the 2021 season is a lingering issue he will manage for the rest of his career. He added calf and knee issues to the injury docket last season. His weekly listing on the injury report, even if he often did not have an official status on Fridays, often required taking a breath to finish all things he was listed with.
Still, Ragnow was Pro Football Focus' top-graded center last season and the site's third-highest graded offensive lineman overall. He was better at less than 100 percent, and times surely far less than 100 percent, than most of his peers were at full strength.
But it's also fair to assume the injuries Ragnow dealt with last season will shorten his career a bit. Entering his seventh season, he's under contract through 2026. It may be a coin-flip chance, at best, he makes it to 10 seasons.
The Lions were mentioned as a possible landing spot for Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson by Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda, with Pauline adding a note that Ragnow may retire after the 2024 season.
"Also keep the Detroit Lions on the radar for JPJ. The Lions have an aging interior offensive line, including Kevin Zeitler, who they signed to a one-year deal, and former first-round pick Frank Ragnow. Sources tell me this could be Ragnow's final season, and he may retire once the Lions' 2024 season is completed."
-Tony Pauline, Sportskeeda
Powers-Johnson is a potential first-round pick who has landed with the Lions at pick No. 29 in some mock drafts, including the final one from MLive's Kyle Meinke.
In a big picture sense, the Lions want to keep their offensive line a strength. And general manager Brad Holmes is not married to addressing immediate needs in the draft. Thoughts about a succession plan for Ragnow in this year's draft would be natural.
With that in mind, here are four players the Lions could take in the 2024 draft as a potential successor to Ragnow.