A Look At Frank Ragnow As A Potential Selection By The Detroit Lions In The 2018 NFL Draft

If the Detroit Lions have made it to round three of the 2018 NFL Draft and have yet to find an answer to their interior offensive line issues, they may find one in Frank Ragnow. Arkansas had Ragnow play both center and guard during his three seasons there. The Lions have a hole to fill at either center or guard considering Graham Glasgow’s ability to play both positions, with no one of starter caliber talent at the other spot.

The Lions do have other needs and is entirely realistic they go some combination of defensive end and running back in the first two rounds. The third round should have some good value at the positions, and Ragnow is one of them.

Frank Ragnow’s Power

There are plenty of athletic interior lineman in this draft, however Ragnow is not one of them. Athletic ability is not a major factor in Ragnow’s game. His main strength to this point in his career is his strength and ability to impose his will in the running game. Similarly to Glasgow, he plays with a tenacious mean streak and is constantly putting opposing players into the turf. He is incredibly competitive, which shows up when he plays better competition. While there are a couple mental mishaps, Ragnow had arguably his best game against Alabama’s very strong interior line.

When facing Alabama defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne head on in this game, he was able to hold his ground and even drive on Payne in the ground game. His hand usage was inconsistent though. Often he would come out of his stance with a high pad level and engage his hands high and outside. However, he was strong enough to throw defenders like Payne around while doing so. When he does have good hand usage though, he is really able to drive defenders into the ground. The play above is a good example of what Ragnow can do when he does keeps his hands more towards the center mass of the defender, even against a top end defensive player like Payne.

Why Detroit Should Select Ragnow

I will admit right away Ragnow does have athletic limitations. There is some tightness in his hips and his agility is not the greatest. He does need to spend some time learning how to pick up stunts and blitzes quicker. He needs more time to work on footwork in pass protection. But he does possess a constantly churning motor, he is hyper competitive, a leader, can be overwhelming strong when using proper technique, and would be a big step in improving the Lions interior running game, were he to be their selection.

Ultimately, it will come down to value and whether or not that particular need is filled for the Lions. But if that vacancy is still open and Ragnow is available at 82nd overall, it would be a very hard selection to pass up.

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