Detroit Lions top the NFC North offensive line power rankings
By Ash Thompson
The Detroit Lions offensive line
Ron Prince has left the building. The Lions offensive line was not very good in 2017. Prince, the offensive line coach, was the only coach fired at the same time as Jim Caldwell. Bob Quinn felt no need to consult his future head coach about that particular move.
New offensive line coach Jeff Davidson has been referred to as “the Lions secret weapon.” He has coached a series of successful rushing attacks over the last few seasons. He has pulled solid performances out of significantly less talented players than the Lions have on the line.
Taylor Decker had a very good rookie season. He lost half of his sophomore season to a shoulder injury. He was never the same player. A full and healthy offseason should put him back on course to be the solid left tackle he was in 2016.
Rick Wagner did not miss as many games as Decker, but he also felt the bite of the injury bug. He had ankle and back injuries in early December. He missed three games but returned for the season finale against the Packers.
Just as the left side was coming back around, the right side faltered. If Decker returns to form and they remain healthy, the Lions bookends could challenge Bahktiari and Bulaga for the top pair of tackles in the NFL.
Graham Glasgow showed the NFL what he is in 2017. Glasgow is a solid blocker in both the running and passing game. Glasgow moved around the line a bit in 2017. He was the only week one starter to play all 16 games for the team. At guard, he was just a guy. He earned the eighth best rating in the NFL from PFF for his time at center, however.
T.J. Lang probably did not deserve his pro bowl appearance last year, but it is a testament to his ability that he made the trip in a down year. He missed three games and was limited by injuries in others, but he is a well-respected player in league circles. Lang suffered a concussion in November.
A foot injury that hampered his play for the month of December. At the time of Lang’s concussion, he was playing at a top ten guard level according to PFF. Lang has missed three games in each of his last two seasons, but his injuries have not been of a chronic nature.
The Lions added to that group in the offseason. Frank Ragnow became a Lion in the first round of the 2018 draft. Ragnow earned the two highest grades in PFF history for his junior and senior seasons at Arkansas. While no player is certain to have an immediate transition to the NFL from the NCAA, Ragnow seems a prime candidate. The Lions only need him to be respectable for their line to be the best in the NFC North.
The Lions brought in depth with starting experience in the form of Kenny Wiggins and Wesley Johnson. Neither were great NFL starters, Johnson was one of the worst starting linemen in the NFL in 2017 according to the Bleacher Report 1000, but that is still a starting lineman in the NFL. Wiggins had his best seasons under the tutelage of Jeff Davidson in San Diego.
The Lions also have Joe Dahl, who may be able to salvage his career after two seasons of being moved around the line, and 2018 fifth round pick Tyrell Crosby competing for positions. The present and the future look good for the Lions.
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The Vikings are a bad group in a bad situation. The Bears are significantly better because their interior line is decent while the Packers get a grudging respect because their tackles are great. The Lions, however, have the best group of offensive linemen in the NFC North.