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.
4 2024 draft prospects Detroit Lions could tab as Frank Ragnow's successor
4. Beaux Limmer, Arkansas
Limmer started 23 games at right guard over the 2021 and 2022 seasons at Arkansas, before playing center in Arkansas' bowl game to end the 2022 season. That set the stage for his switch to center last season, where he started 11 games at (one start at left guard).
Limmer did 39 bench press reps at the combine, so he has plenty of sheer strength and he gets high marks for his agility, technical skill and football IQ. He could stand to add some weight (302 pounds), and he had struggles in pass protection. But his 77.6 run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus was ninth-best among college centers last season.
Limmer is a projected fourth or fifth-round pick, and he could serve as a capable backup to all three interior line spots while waiting to possible succeed Ragnow at center in a couple years.
3. Dylan McMahon, N.C. State
McMahon played both guard spots and center at a solid level over the course of his career at N.C. State, but he easily projects as a center in the NFL. At the NFL Combine he posted a top-notch 9.81Relative Athletic Score (33-inch vertical, 9-foot-7-inch broad jump, 7.26 short shuttle). He gets high marks for his football IQ and playing technique, but his weaknesses (size, arm length) are what will make him a Day 3 pick. That may also make him a more ideal fit for the Lions.
As the Lions eye that succession plan for Ragnow, it would not be shocking if they have McMahon higher on their draft board than the consensus suggests.
2. Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon
The aforementioned Powers-Johnson played both guard spots as a freshman at Oregon in 2021, then moved exclusively to right guard in 2022 before moving to center last season. All he did in that lone season at center was win the Rimington Trophy, which is awarded annually to the best center in the country.
For his career in Eugene, Powers-Johnson allowed zero sacks and just one pressure. NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, via Kyle Meinke of MLive, seemed to describe a player the Lions would love.
“It’s hard to find guys that big that can move like that,” Jeremiah said. “You can’t get through him. He just kind of catches guys and absorbs them. In pass pro, he is quick to the second level and good on combo blocks. He has some nasty to him. He is a bulldog.”
In theory, Powers-Johnson could backup all three interior line spots as a rookie and step in wherever a starter might be needed in 2025. That could be center, if not in 2025 then eventually, after however many more years Ragnow plays.
1. Zach Frazier, West Virginia
Frazier started his college career at left guard before moving to center. He is listed as a center as he moves to the next level, but a transition back to guard could be in play depending on the team that drafts him.
Over those three years at center for West Virginia, Frazier finished 17th, seventh and 21st in PFF run blocking grade. He suffered a fractured late in last year's regular season finale, but he finished the drive as the Mountaineers drove for a game-winning touchdown. He is recovered quickly enough to do on-field work at the NFL Combine.
Jeremiah has been on the idea of Frazier as a great fit for the Lions going back to his first mock draft of the year. During a media conference call last week, speaking about Frazier, Powers-Johson and Duke's Graham Barton, the NFL Network analyst doubled-down (via Lions Wire).
"If you asked me who’s the Lion in the group, I would say the third one, Frazier,” Jeremiah said. “The four-time state champ wrestler. A guy who’s got a tenacity and a physicality to and through the whistle. He kind of fits their style, as you know, there. I think he’s worthy of being taken there in the bottom of the first round. I have no problem with that at all.”
Frazier is a definite option for the Lions at No. 29 overall if he's there. If he's not, a trade down out of the first round may come.
Honorable Mentions: Graham Barton, Duke; Tanor Bortolini, Wisconsin