The 2018 NFL Draft is set to begin on Thursday night in Arlington, Texas. That evening will introduce just the first-round selections, and Arkansas center Frank Ragnow is becoming increasingly likely to be among them.
The Detroit Lions selected Ragnow with the 20th-overall pick in the first round. He will now be playing very close to where he grew up.
Ragnow is a 6-foot-5, 312-pound Minnesota native. He was a three-year starter for the Razorbacks, playing both guard and center. During his time in Fayetteville, he never allowed a sack while playing in 42 games with 33 consecutive starts. Below are the five other things you need to know about the Arkansas center:
1. Frank Ragnow rated as No. 1 center in draft
According to CBSSports, Ragnow is the No. 1 center prospect in the draft. That’s not the only media outlet high on the former Arkansas team captain, either. Many experts have recently began predicting he will climb into the first round.
Draft analyst Mike Mayock was on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast and professed his belief Ragnow would be first-round selection. Fellow draft expert R.J. White has him being taken No. 30 overall by the Minnesota Vikings.
“He can play all three interior offensive line positions. Nobody is talking about him and I think he’s going in the first round,” Mayock said.
2. Frank Ragnow highest-graded center in college football
Pro Football Focus has named Ragnow its first-team All-America center each of the past two seasons. The outlet has done so based on his incredibly impressive performance grades each year.
In 2016, he received an overall grade of 94.5 on PFF’s 100-point scale. He followed that up with a 93.7 as a senior. Those back-to-back totals are by far the two highest among centers during that time since the website began grading every FBS offensive lineman four years ago.
3. Frank Ragnow dealt with father’s death during junior season
Ragnow receiving devastating news in the middle of his junior season — his father, Jon, died back home in Minnesota shortly after watching his son play against Alcorn State on Oct. 1, 2016. He flew home to be with his family throughout the next week. Believing it’s what his father would want, he rejoined the Razorbacks for their matchup with No. 1 Alabama just seven days after Jon’s death. He started and played every offensive snap in the game.
With his father gone, he has openly admitted his selection by an NFL team will be a bittersweet moment.
4. Ankle injury sidelined Frank Ragnow for second half of senior season
No one on Arkansas’ 2017 roster would say last season went as they would’ve hoped. Ragnow is no exception. Though he was dominant when he did play, the Hogs won just 4 games and spent the final month of the season without their star center. Ragnow sustained a severe high ankle sprain in Arkansas’ loss to Auburn on Oct. 21. He injury required surgery and left him on a scooter for several weeks.
The past couple of months have largely involved him proving he’s healthy. Strong performances at the NFL combine and Arkansas’ pro day helped alleviate any concerns.
5. Frank Ragnow is an avid outdoorsman
Football isn’t Ragnow’s only sporting passion. He’s also an avid hunter and fisherman. He even has a YouTube channel — Grizzly Man Outdoors — where he shares some of his outdoors adventures. He’s stated on several occasions he has a dream of one day hosting his own outdoors show.
The Detroit Lions have selected Frank Ragnow with their first-round pick, 20th overall, in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Lions continue to make serious improvements on the offensive line. Two years ago, general manager took his left tackle in Taylor Decker. Last offseason, Detroit added Rick Wagner and T.J. Lang in free agency. Now the Lions have added their final piece to the offensive line: Frank Ragnow.
Ragnow is likely pegged as the Lions’ center now, with Graham Glasgow potentially staying at left guard.
Ragnow is ridiculously athletic, posting the fourth-best RAS at center of all time:
With the 20th pick in 20th pick in the #NFLDraft, the #Lions selected #FrankRagnow.
Ragnow posted the 4th best #RAS of a center since 1987 with elite marks across the board outside of the Cone.
And becuase @DetroitOnLion has said it, we're starting #Ragnowrock pic.twitter.com/RRqQMxQZYA — Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 27, 2018
The big story here may not be who the Lions picked, but who they passed over. Edge defender Harold Landry was still surprisingly on the board when the Lions were on the clock, yet despite have a defensive coordinator who coached Landry in college, they decided to pass on him.
Lions remaining picks
Round 2, Pick 19 (51 overall)
Round 3, Pick 18 (82 overall)
Round 4, Pick 17 (117 overall)
Round 5, Pick 16 (153 overall)
Round 7, Pick 19 (237 overall)
Top remaining needs for Lions:
Defensive end
Offensive guard
Defensive tackle
Running back
Safety
Linebacker
Wide receiver
Cornerback
NFL Draft schedule
Friday
What: Rounds 2-3 of the NFL Draft
When: Friday, April 27, 7 p.m. ET
Where: Arlington, TX
TV: NFL Network, ESPN/ESPN 2, FOX
Time per pick: Round 2: 7 minutes; Round 3: 5 minutes
Estimated time of Lions picks:
Pick 51 overall: ~9 p.m. ET
Pick 82 overall: ~10:40 p.m ET
Saturday
What: Rounds 4-7 of the NFL Draft
When: Saturday, April 28, Noon ET
Where: Arlington, TX
TV: NFL Network, ESPN
Time per pick: Rounds 4-6: 5 minutes; Round 7: 4 minutes
Estimated time of Lions picks:
Pick 117 overall: ~1:20 p.m. ET
Pick 153 overall: ~3:20 p.m. ET
Pick 237 overall: ~8:45 p.m. ET
(Draft day has finally arrived, and in the hours leading up to the Panthers being on the clock at No. 24, Panthers.com writers Max Henson, Bryan Strickland and Bill Voth are each profiling a prospect Carolina could target with its first-round pick.)
A week ago, some in the mock draft universe speculated that the Panthers would do well to use their second-round selection on Arkansas center/guard Frank Ragnow.
Now that draft day is here, some speculate that Ragnow might not even be available when Carolina chooses in the first round. If he is, he's someone for the Panthers to ponder.
Many mockers have the Panthers picking a replacement for All-Pro left guard Andrew Norwell with their first selection, but Will Hernandez is the most popular name. Hernandez has the potential to be a great guard in this league, but so does Ragnow. The reason I'm more interested in the latter is that Ragnow also has the makings of a great center. Carolina has always valued position flexibility in its offensive linemen, and that should be doubly true with Norwell off to Jacksonville and five-time Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil having said 2018 will be his final season.
As Voth wrote at the NFL Scouting Combine, hype around Ragnow was muted by a high ankle sprain that required surgery and cost him his final five college games. He wasn't ready to participate in workouts at the combine but was ready and able at Arkansas pro day a month later, where he showed off his unique combination of strength and athleticism that helped him give up zero sacks in college. Zip.
Ragnow is garnering plenty of attention at the end of the process. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com recently listed Ragnow as a first-round lock, and Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com vaulted Ragnow up to 40th in his final top-50 prospects list after not including him at all in his previous three lists.
The 6-foot-5, 312-pound might not be as "sexy" a pick as a darting defensive back, and he might not be what some have in mind when they talk about adding weapons for Cam Newton (like tight end and fellow redhead Hayden Hurst). But aside from quarterback there's nothing more important to success in the NFL than keeping both sides of the line of scrimmage strong, and in that regard Ragnow fits the bill.
Arkansas Razorbacks center Frank Ragnow. (Photo: Matthew Emmons, USA TODAY Sports)
After watching their offensive line struggle badly in 2017, the Detroit Lions took a major step towards fixing it with their first-round pick Thursday.
The Lions took Arkansas center Frank Ragnow with the 20th pick of the first round in the NFL draft.
Ragnow projects as a starter this fall on a line that returns four of its five starters from last season. His addition likely means Graham Glasgow, who’s played both center and left guard for the Lions, likely will stay at left guard.
"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," Lions coach Matt Patricia said at the team's draft party, on WJR 760-AM. "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."
More NFL draft coverage:
Detroit Lions draft reactions: Frank Ragnow 'heck of a football player'
Detroit Lions fans not happy over selecting Frank Ragnow in NFL draft
Lions position-by-position needs in NFL draft
A three-year starter and team captain, Ragnow suffered a season-ending ankle injury last October. He admitted at the NFL combine in March that he had a moment of regret after the injury about returning to school for his senior season.
“I think I’d be lying if there wasn’t that first thought like, ‘Man,’” Ragnow said. “But after hearing from teams and talking to people close to me, I was all right. And I still think I helped myself my senior year. I feel like I bettered myself as a football player over the offseason that year so I’m happy with my season. got a degree, so it’s all great.”
Ragnow replaces Travis Swanson, a third-round pick out of Arkansas in 2014 who signed a free-agent deal with the New York Jets this offseason.
He said in March that he considered Swanson a mentor.
“When my dad passed away, he was there for me,” Ragnow said. “When I had a new position coach he was there for me. He’s kind of always been giving me advice going into my senior year. He gave me advice when last year I was thinking about leaving. He talked me through it. (Before the combine), he gave me advice with the interviews, what to say, what not to say and throughout this whole process he’s kind of been there for me.”
Arkansas lineman Frank Ragnow during a game against TCU. (Photo: Arkansas)
The Lions ranked last in the NFL in rushing last season and started 11 different combinations on an injury-riddled line.
Ragnow is the second offensive lineman general manager Bob Quinn has taken in the first round in his three drafts as general manager. The Lions used the 16th pick of the 2016 draft on Taylor Decker, their starting left tackle.
The team also returns Glasgow, the only player to play every offensive snap last season, right guard T.J. Lang and right tackle Rick Wagner.
The Lions signed offensive linemen Kenny Wiggins and Wesley Johnson as free agents this offseason, but both players now project as backups.
More on Ragnow:
Watch: An emotional Frank Ragnow accepts Lions' draft call
Lions get F for picking Arkansas' Frank Ragnow in NFL draft
Ragnow, 6 feet 5 and 312 pounds, adds size and power to the Lions’ offensive line. He was the fourth offensive lineman drafted, after Notre Dame guards Quenton Nelson (sixth) and Mike McGlinchey (nine), and UCLA’s Kolton Miller (15th).
Four quarterbacks went in the first 10 picks, though not quite in the order most expected.
After being linked to Sam Darnold for much of the pre-draft process, the Cleveland Browns started their latest rebuild by taking Heisman Trophy-winning Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield first overall.
The New York Giants followed at No. 2 with the best player on many team’s draft boards, Penn State running back Saquan Barkley, and the Jets, a month after trading up to No. 3, stumbled into Darnold.
The Browns threw another curveball at Pick No. 4, opting for Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward over defensive end Bradley Chubb, who went fifth to the Denver Broncos.
After the Indianapolis Colts took the draft’s consensus best lineman, Notre Dame’s Nelson, the Buffalo Bills traded up for strong-armed Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen.
Georgia’s Roquan Smith (to the Chicago Bears) and McGlinchey (to the San Francisco 49ers) went eight and nine, before the Arizona Cardinals moved up for the last of the Big Four quarterbacks, UCLA’s Josh Rosen.
CLOSE The Lions took center Frank Ragnow out of Arkansas with the No. 20 pick on Thursday night. Meet the newest Lion. Wochit
The Lions have all four rookie quarterbacks on their schedule this year. They open the season on Monday Night Football against Darnold and Jets, visit Rosen and the Cardinals in Week 14 and Allen and the Bills in Week 15.
In the preseason, the Lions host Mayfield and the Browns.
Now that they've filled their need on the offensive line, the Lions can focus on holes on the defensive line, at safety, running back and perhaps tight end on Day 2.
Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!
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