Lions fans know how good Frank Ragnow is, and he’s come in highly in another 2022 offseason ranking.
Frank Ragnow missed all but four games last season due to turf toe. But the 2020 Pro Bowler might be the best player on a good Detroit Lions offensive line, and Pro Football Focus ranked him as the third-best center in the NFL earlier this offseason.
The Lions will hopefully have all five of their starting offensive lineman together for all 17 games this season, after they played nary a snap together last year. Ragnow is the literal and figurative center of the unit, off which everything will be better for his presence.
Dalton Miller of Pro Football Network has ranked his top-32 interior offensive line in the NFL. That’s centers and guards obviously, with two guards (Zack Martin, Quenton Nelson) at No. 1 and No. 2.
Ryan Jensen and Creed Humphrey get the centers represented at No. 3 and No. 4, and Corey Linsley comes in again as a center at No. 7.
Frank Ragnow regarded highly in PFN interior lineman ranking
At No. 8 among the league’s interior lineman, according to PFN, there’s Ragnow.
Frank Ragnow gets lost in the shuffle because he plays for the Lions and missed most of 2021, but he is one of the best interior blockers in the NFL. He checks every mark of an elite-level blocker in size, athleticism, strength, and processing ability.
It’s a shame he missed so much time last season because he looked well on his way to proving he belonged in the conversation with Jensen and Humphrey. Ragnow’s strike timing, placement, and ability to keep interior defenders on their toes proved the growth in his game since switching from left guard to center in 2019.
Miller noted how Ragnow switched from left guard to center in 2019, and how he has improved each season if you buy into Pro Football Focus grades to go with the eye test. If not for missing the time he did last year, it seems he would have been ranked a few spots higher.
Come this same kind of spot a year from now, Ragnow is in line to be ranked as a top-five interior offensive lineman in the league. Not just center–interior offensive lineman. Better health should get him there, and the Lions winning a few more games this year can’t hurt.
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