ALLEN PARK -- Frank Ragnow turned some heads last season and now looks primed to enter the conversation when it comes to the game's elite centers.
Ragnow, 24, finished last season as the second-best run blocker at his position per Pro Football Focus. He allowed only two sacks in 15 starts while snapping the ball for three different quarterbacks. Sack and pressure totals will come in lower more times than not at his position, but holding firm with that level of instability is impressive.
He was a first-round pick in Lions coach Matt Patricia’s first draft in Detroit. Now, he seems on the cusp of being the team’s first first-team All-Pro offensive lineman since Lomas Brown made it back in 1995. It’s worth noting Brown was at Detroit’s practice earlier in the week, watching Ragnow go toe-to-toe with defensive tackle Danny Shelton. After two reps, Brown turned to reporters in the bleachers and said: “We don’t have to worry about nothing right there.”
Ragnow’s continued development is hard to miss, and now he’s looking to study some of the game’s best to take his play to another level. He said he studied tape of Alex Mack, Travis Frederick, Eric Wood, Brandon Linder and specifically Garrett Bradbury’s work on outside zone runs. Ragnow clarified he was looking to watch other centers similar to his body type, past and present.
"Each year, the game slows down," Ragnow said via Zoom earlier this week. "Whether you're studying tape or getting more reps, you develop that confidence, and you develop that trust. This offseason, I really tried to emphasize watching other guys and watching tape of other defenses, kind of just to develop that confidence because I believe I've got the ability, I've just got to develop that confidence.
“I’m feeling confident, but Danny (Shelton) is a heckuva player. That’s one blessing, a big blessing with this training camp is he’s going to push me to get better. He works his tail off. He’s talented. He does a lot of great technique things. He’s going to make me a lot better. It’s an honor to work with him, as well.”
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Patricia gushed when asked about Ragnow’s development as an offensive lineman and leader on Friday. He said the Lions are focusing on fundamentals with the third-year center to expand his ability to snap the ball and move at the same time.
"Frank Ragnow has really just continued to grow and develop every year. There's probably not enough great things to say about him," Patricia said. "I think he has settled into that after a year under his belt last year with that, and now really taking the lead of the communication and working with the quarterback and all of the things you need to do as a center to pull that group together. He's done a phenomenal job.
“He’s very strong. He’s very powerful. He finishes blocks very well. He’s got a great punch; all of those technical things are really great. I think it’s probably to your point like you said, we haven’t said much about him just because he’s anchoring that middle and just doing his job every day and doing it at a high level.”
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Detroit’s offensive line is looking at two new starters this season, with Graham Glasgow and Rick Wagner gone. The Lions signed Halapoulivaati Vaitai to a five-year, $45 million deal to replace Wagner. Third-round rookie Jonah Jackson is getting most of the first-team reps at right guard through the first week of camp. Rookie Logan Stenberg has been working as the second-team center with Beau Benzschawel limited. While two new faces are enough of a challenge to begin with, the group is also working together in person for the first time thanks to the hampered offseason.
Ragnow spent a chunk of the offseason “working his tail off” in his parents’ basement in Minnesota. He recognized the group needs time to bond but said he’s just thankful everyone is finally back together in Allen Park.
“Definitely takes time. It’s not something that’s going to happen overnight,” Ragnow said. “The blessing is now that we’re in the building, now that we’re able to be in the building and get to see each other and chop it up. A lot of that chemistry doesn’t even happen on the field. It’s kind of developing with the guys and kind of developing that group, you know, best friend mentality. We’re all going to go out there and work as one. (Lions offensive line) coach (Hank) Fraley likes to talk about the five becoming a fist and you can’t break the fist.
“That’s one thing, being here, it’s been great to be able to get to know these guys and rotate all, whoever it is, we’re all very comfortable with each other. I think those relationships that we’ve built, even off the field, whether it’s in the meeting room, in the walkthroughs, in the locker room, that’s what’s going to help us continue this chemistry.”
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August 23, 2020 at 04:37AM
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