NFL Draft: Grading each 2018 first-round pick after Week 11

20. Detroit Lions: Frank Ragnow, C/G

One of the first surprises from day one came when the Detroit Lions selected Frank Ragnow out of Arkansas. The Razorbacks center was considered one of the best interior prospects, but maybe not necessarily a first round player.

Detroit liked what they saw despite other’s opinion of his value and brought him in. So far, he’s been lining up at left guard and after a slow start he’s taken off. He was praised by Peter King, who called him the player of the week in Week 7.

"“You know why Kerryon Johnson had that 71-yard run in Miami on Sunday, the longest run for the Lions in seven years? A perfectly played, perfectly executed pulling block from Ragnow. The rookie from Arkansas stepped from his left guard slot, ran in front of the quarterback/running back in the backfield, stepped into a hole around right tackle, and erased tackling machine Kiko Alonso, the Miami linebacker. Johnson, starting from his nine-yard line, sprinted all the way to the Miami 20 before getting knocked out of bounds, running through the void created by that block.” — Peter King, NBC Sports"

Detroit is trying to become a tougher team and that starts up front on both sides of the ball. Ragnow is accomplishing that for them on offense.

Grade: B-