Packers: Which NFC North team has the best offensive line?
By John Dales
Detroit Lions
Projected starters: Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow, Frank Ragnow, T.J. Lang, Rick Wagner
Taylor Decker: 60.5 PFF grade in 2017; No. 46 position ranking
Graham Glasgow: 76.1 grade; No. 20 ranking
Frank Ragnow: N/A grade; N/A ranking
T.J. Lang: 79.1 grade; No. 13 ranking
Rick Wagner: 81.9 grade; No. 11 ranking
In the aforementioned PFF 2017 offensive line rankings, the Lions came up 19th.
The Lions proved to be a more-than-solid offensive line in the department of pass protection last season. Matthew Stafford was not constantly running for his life to escape pressure when he dropped back to pass.
READ MORE: Three rookies who can start for the Packers this season
Conversely, the 2017 Detroit offensive line’s biggest weak spot was their run-blocking. They weren’t helped much with the fact that they didn’t quite have a dominant tailback.
The weakness of their running game can be seen in the fact that the Lions averaged only 3.35 yards per carry last season. This was the lowest in the NFL for that category.
However, this offseason the Lions addressed this need by taking Frank Ragnow in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Ragnow was a beast at Arkansas when he was able to stay healthy. If he’s able to avoid injuries this season, the Lions’ offensive line will have greatly upgraded in the run-blocking department.