Author: Paula Pasche

Didn’t see one mock draft with offensive lineman Frank Ragnow heading to the Lions with the 20th overall pick.

That does not mean it was a bad pick.

Lions GM Bob Quinn got his man. He said they liked Ragnow from the get-go when they watched film and interviewed him at the NFL Draft Combine.

Respected NFL draft analyst Mike Mayock had Ragnow rated as the 19th best draft prospect.

Bleacher Report’s Mike Tanier calls Ragnow “a potential steal.”

Here’s a look at grades from national analysts:

Chad Reuter, draft analyst on NFL.com — Grade: A … Detroit needed to get stronger in the middle, and did by picking Ragnow. He could play guard for now, or move to center if needed. Either way, he’ll move the line of scrimmage. Matthew Stafford feels better already.

Pete Prisco, CBS — Grade: B+ … He is the draft’s best center and can also play guard. The Lions have to get better inside, and Ragnow will make that happen.

Andy Benoit, MMQB — Grade: B … Picking Ragnow addressed the Lions’ weakness at left guard. Graham Glasgow will now move there, supplanting recently signed backup Kenny Wiggins. The Lions wouldn’t draft Ragnow if they didn’t believe he can be a force in the running game, which has been a deficiency the past several years in Detroit.

Yahoo Sports — Grade: B- … The Lions got a guy who will start for a decade and help alleviate running game issues while keeping Matthew Stafford happy. But Detroit needed a pass rusher.

Steven Ruiz, USAToday — Grade: B … The Lions continue to build up their offensive line by adding a nasty blocker who can play at multiple positions. Detroit could have gone for a running back to improve their dreadful run game, but Ragnow should make things easier for the backs already on the roster.

Walter Cherepinsky, Walter Football — Grade: A- … That sound you hear is the collective hearts of the Bengals’ front office breaking upon learning about this pick. Frank Ragnow was set to go 21st overall, but the Lions also needed a center, so they snatched the Arkansas product off the board. This is a solid pick. Ragnow is a terrific center who didn’t surrender a single sack last year playing in the SEC. He fills a huge need, which the Lions had after losing Travis Swanson in free agency.

Mike Tanier, Bleacher Report — Grade: B … The Lions offensive line ranked last in the NFL in adjusted line yards, according to Football Outsiders. Their running back play was terrible, but often there was simply nowhere for them to run. Frank Ragnow missed much of the 2017 season with an ankle injury. He could not participate in the Senior Bowl and only lifted at the combine, but he was a full participant at Arkansas’ pro day. Ragnow is a big mauler with pretty good balance and awareness. He adjusts to blitzes well, peels off to engage linebackers and finishes his blocks with hostility. Ragnow lets some defenders get low on him, negating his power, and may have trouble against quick, cagey interior defenders. But assuming his bill of health is clean, Ragnow is a likely starter and a potential steal. This is a solid pick, though with Harold Landry and others on the board (including a pair of centers who may be as good or better than Ragnow), it may not have been the Lions’ best selection.

(Photo courtesy of Arkansas)

ALLEN PARK >> Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn said it was a good opening night of the NFL draft. The Lions selected offensive lineman Frank Ragnow with the 20th overall pick.

“At that point in time it was a real easy pick. He was a guy we had our eyes on for a while and it worked out that way,’’ Quinn said in a post-draft press conference late Thursday night.

Ragnow was a three-year starter at Arkansas, playing center and guard. He met with the Lions at the NFL Draft Combine but hadn’t heard from them since.

“He’s coming back from injury that he missed the second half of the season with an ankle and other than the injury he was a real clean prospect that I didn’t feel we needed to do a whole lot of extra work on,’’ Quinn said.

The offensive line has been a priority for Quinn who is heading up his third Lions’ draft.

“I think it starts in the trenches, I think it starts up front. We want to build though the middle of our team, through the offensive line, defensive line, through the middle. That’s what we believe in,’’ Quinn said. “Going through the evaluation process, there were a number of players on the board we liked we just thought at the end of the day Frank was the best player at that time —- a guy who can help us the most and the quickest and we’re really excited about the pick.’’

With the Lions’ roster as it is, many draft analysts expected the Lions to draft a defensive lineman in the first round. At least two possibilities — Da’Ron Payne (13th to Redskins) and Marcus Davenport (14th to Saints) were gone before the Lions picked.

“Everything that happened in the first 19 picks affected who we picked, that’s how the draft goes,” Quinn said. “We had some of those defensive guys rated pretty high too. At the end of the day we got a guy we’re really happy about, liked from the start.”

Quinn said they had conversations going all night about possible trades. “We had multiple offers on the table for our pick,’’ the GM said.

But they liked Ragnow and were able to get him.

“The first time I watched him play on tape I thought this guy is a really good player. Going back the last couple weeks as we fine-tuned to see who might be available, it was pretty clear he would probably be there but we thought it was going to be close,’’ Quinn said. “We got some word from a few teams after us that they were interested in him as well so I think the time was right to pick him.’’

The Lions have picks in the second (51st overall) and third (82nd overall) rounds on Friday starting at 7 p.m. The draft wraps up on Saturday beginning at noon.

While many expected the Lions to take a defensive lineman in the first round, instead they drafted center Frank Ragnow with the 20th overall pick.

Coach Matt Patricia and GM Bob Quinn couldn’t be happier. Ragnow brings the attitude that the new coach wants. “When he steps in between the lines, that’s what we’re looking for. We’re looking for that type of dominating attitude,” Patricia told a draft party at Lions’ headquarters.

“Everything we’re about is what he is,” Quinn said in a post-draft press conference.

Ragnow, who is 6-5 and 312 pounds, was a three-year starter and team captain. He has starting experience at center and guard although he hasn’t been told where the Lions are looking to play him.

At Arkansas one stat stands out: In 33 starts, and 42 games played overall, he did not allow a sack.

Ragnow, in a conference call with the Detroit media on Thursday night, said he interviewed with the Lions at the NFL Draft Combine but had not been in touch since.

“To be honest, I was pretty surprised, they actually mentioned on the phone they really tried to keep their interest in me under the radar ,” Ragnow said. “I was very surprised but I’m so, so excited to be a Detroit Lion.

“It’s hard to put into words, 20th overall in the NFL draft,” Ragnow said. “I’m a kid living his dream. I’m very excited.”

He grew up in Minnesota so has watched the NFC North “my whole life.”

Lions coach Matt Patricia told fans at the Lions’ draft party: ““We got a guy that’s smart, tough football (player) that can help us run the ball and help us protect our quarterback, and someone that can play a couple different positions inside, so we’re excited. This is a guy that (has) great traits, great character, hard worker, everything that we’re about. Blue-collar type of guy that we know is just going to make us tougher up front.”

The big goal is to improve the run game and Ragnow can help.  “Hopefully, I think we got a bunch of guys up front right now that are working real hard. We just got done with three good days of work. So, all those guys up front are working their butts off to compete and make us better and that’s just another guy that’ll hopefully help us do that,” Patricia said.

A video from PigTrailNation shows Ragnow taking a call from Patricia to get the big news. He also talked to Lions owner Martha Ford

Per his NFL.com draft profile: “He brings a desired level of physical demeanor to the field each game. Ragnow won’t wow you with foot quickness or athleticism, but he takes smart angles to his blocks and shouldn’t be limited by scheme. His size, power, and anchor is a big plus as is his ability to swing over to guard if needed. Ragnow could struggle to stay connected to blocks against athletic interior linemen with quick hands, but his baseline play is equal to a solid NFL starter.”

NFL draft analyst Mike Mayock ranked Ragnow as the 19th best prospect in the draft.  While CBSsports.com ranked him as the best center available and the 33rd best prospect.

(Photo courtesy of Arkansas)

According to CBSsports.com draft profile: “Ragnow entered the 2017 (season) with high expectations and didn’t disappoint. He suffered a high ankle sprain against Auburn in Week 7 that ended his college career. He still graded out as the highest offensive lineman in the nation with Pro Football Focus (93.7) and was named to their All-America first team. He was the probable favorite for the Rimington Trophy until the injury. Despite missing the final five games of the season, CBSSports named him to their All-America first team.”

Former Lions backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky appreciates the pick. He tweeted: “The Lions taking Ragnow at center tells me this: We know we are in the prime years with our QB and we’re going to keep him clean and FINALLY COMMIT TO GIVING HIM A FAIR FUN GAME. They should be very difficult to handle offensively in ‘18.”

The Lions did not bring back center Travis Swanson (he signed with Jets), so there is a need at center. They weren’t desperate because Graham Glasgow could move from guard to center. In other words, they are short one starter on the offensive line.

The Lions have picks in the second and third round on Friday and plenty of talent is available including: Derrius Guice, Anthony Miller, DJ Chark, Courtland Sutton, Dallas Goedert, Harold Landry, Connor Williams, Mason Rudolph, Sam Hubbard, Maurice Hurst, Josh Jackson and Isaiah Oliver.

From NFL.com’s draft profile: