Lions Lowdown

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:

Predicting the top 20 picks in the NFL draft is nearly impossible. It’s just too tough to know what 20 NFL general managers have up their sleeves.

It’s easy to determine need, but beyond that, good luck.

The Lions’ biggest needs appear to be on the defensive line. So taking a pass rusher with the 20th overall pick seems like a no-brainer. Almost.

It depends on the first 19 picks and, of course, the best player available philosophy plays a factor too.

So when it’s GM Bob Quinn’s time to pick, what will he do? It’s likely even he won’t know at 8 p.m. on Thursday when the draft starts. He’ll know what direction he’s leaning in, but so many variables will at work.

Quinn could trade up or down. He’s not desperate for a certain player and would love to add more draft picks (he has six) so maybe trading back would be more likely.

Here are my top five possible picks for the Lions with the 20th overall pick:

1. Defensive end Marcus Davenport (University Texas San Antonio). Yes, he’s raw but it’s not the only word that defines him. He’s long, strong and physical. Bo Davis, the Lions defensive line coach was his coach last season at UTSA. (Photo courtesy of UTSA)

2. Defensive end Harold Landry (Boston College). In 2016 he led the nation in sacks with 16.5, forced seven fumbles, had 22 tackles for a loss, six QB hurries, four pass breakups, an interception, 51 total tackles and a partridge in a pear tree. He battled injuries in 2017 so the numbers didn’t hold up.  Paul Pasqualoni, the Lions’ new defensive coordinator, was Landry’s line coach for the past two seasons.

3. Defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne (Alabama). He’s versatile, strong, comes from a big program and is just 20. He’ll turn 21 on May 27. His NFL.com draft profile includes this: “Quick to drop his anchor and grow roots.” He dominated inside against Georgia in the national championship game. The “weight room warrior” was named defensive MVP in Crimson Tide’s two playoff games last season.

4. Defensive tackle Taven Bryan (Florida). He’s been compared in size and athleticism to J.J. Watt. Was Gators’ best defensive player in 2017 with 40 tackles, six tackles for a loss and four sacks. Don’t overlook him. He’s son of a Navy Seal which might rate higher than being son of a coach. If Lions want him, could probably trade down a few spots and still have a shot.

5. Running back Derrius Guice (LSU). No question running back is a need. It’s likely the Lions could find a quality back in later rounds (maybe Rashaad Penny in the second or third round)  but if Guice is available he should at least make Quinn stop and think. His 2016 season was his best. Fought injuries in 2017 and it showed.