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The Detroit Lions have a vacancy at their starting right guard position, and they currently have their fair share of linemen vying to take that role.
With the selection of Ohio State’ Jonah Jackson, that competition has gotten even more intense.
Jackson has lined up at left guard, center, and right guard throughout his college career, making him one of the more versatile linemen on the Lions roster. While the Lions have a hole open at right guard, they have been known to shake up the starting five, as they did with both Graham Glasgow and Frank Ragnow.
The drafting of Jackson may have offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell take a look at the entire interior offensive line and try to find the optimal position for each player.
As mentioned earlier, there are a lot of guys in the fight for a starting role. Joe Dahl was the starting left guard last season but will have to win that job again this year. Veterans Oday Aboushi and Kenny Wiggins, who both have multiple years of starting experience, will return to the Lions in hopes of making the first-team lineup. Former San Francisco first-round pick Joshua Garnett joins the team hoping for a fresh start and a chance to revive his career. Also in the fight is Russell Bodine, Beau Benzschawel, Caleb Benenoch, and Casey Tucker.
Ragnow’s job is safe, and he will likely return to play center, but he could go back to guard, a position he played during his rookie season. The Lions traded up to take Jackson, meaning that they want him to come in and contribute right away. While it’s unclear which guard spot he’ll take, his role seems well defined.
That leaves the remaining eight interior linemen to compete for the remaining spot on the line. Detroit usually keeps five interior linemen on their roster, so most of this group will be off the team come August.
Jonah Jackson’s arrival will force the Lions to rethink their offensive line situation. Regardless of where he lines up, one thing that is very clear is that he will be starting in Week 1.