Pro Football Focus ranked all 32 offensive lines heading into the 2020 NFL seasons and the Detroit Lions checked in the dead middle of the pack at 16th overall.
“The Lions finished with the No. 11 offensive line last season as they had two players finish in the top 10 at their respective positions — center Frank Ragnow finished sixth and right guard Graham Glasgow finished 10th — while left tackle Taylor Decker ranked 19th,” PFF’s Steve Palazzolo said. “There will be some turnover as Glasgow moves on in free agency and right tackle Rick Wagner also departs.”
The loss of Glasgow is a big enough blow for the Lions to drop in pre-season rankings but swapping out Wagner for Halapoulivaati Vaitai was an upgrade according to PFF’s end of year grades, where Wagner finished as the 61st ranked offensive tackle and Vaitai graded as the 22nd.
“At tackle, Decker enters the fifth year of his rookie contract, and he has ranked above the league average on true pass sets and run blocking grade on both gap and zone runs since 2016,” Palazzolo continued. “Left guard Joe Dahl performed well in his first year as a starter in 2019, though it was a bit lopsided as he ranked 23rd with a pass-blocking grade of 73.0, but he finished just 48th as a run blocker at 57.1. Ragnow had the No. 2 grade among centers in the run game at 78.2, showing off the skills that made him one of the best interior offensive line prospects of the PFF College era (since 2014).”
Decker, Ragnow, and Dahl give the Lions a trio of returning talent, solidifying the left tackle and center spots, while Dahl’s ability to play both guard spots — and center — gives the Lions flexibility to find the best player available at the other guard position.
“The questions are on the right side, where Halapoulivaati Vaitai signed for $45 million over five years to start at right tackle,” Palazzolo said. “Vaitai is coming off a career-high 76.2 run block grade, but his pass-blocking grade of just 55.2 since 2016 ranks 84 out of 94 qualifiers, so that remains a major question mark. At right guard, third-round pick Jonah Jackson was our favorite pass protecting guard in the draft, and he has the all-around game to step right in as a starter. He’ll compete with veteran Oday Aboushi, who hasn’t posted an overall grade above 62.7 since 2014. Keep an eye on fourth-rounder Logan Stenberg, who brings excellent power and size to the line and may be a solid starter down the road.”
Curiously missing from Palazzolo’s assessment is Kenny Wiggins, who finished last season as PFF’s 41st highest-rated guard. Last season he played ahead of Aboushi and figures to be the biggest challenger for Jonah Jackson at right guard in 2020. At worst, Wiggins is likely ticketed to be a big part of the guard rotation.
“Between Decker, Dahl and Ragnow, the Lions have a strong foundation up front,” Palazzolo summarized, “but the right side of the line will determine where the Lions finish in the end-of-the-season rankings.”
Based on the COVID-19 environment and lack of warm-up practices/preseason games, it wouldn’t be overly surprising to see the Lions turn to Wiggins at right guard to start the season. He has scheme experience and familiarity playing next to Ragnow which could give him an early edge over the rookies. How long Wiggins can hold Jackson/Stenberg off will be one of the more interesting storylines to follow during training camp and the early parts of the season.