Free Press sports reporter Dave Birkett takes a position-by-position look at the top prospects and biggest Detroit Lions needs in the 2022 NFL draft. This is the fourth in an eight-part series.
New Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was effusive in his praise of his offensive line earlier this offseason, saying the group could be “not just good, but dominant up front.”
Pro Bowl guard Jonah Jackson doubled down on that sentiment this week.
“I said it last year, I’m going to stand on it,” Jackson said. “I think we can be the best in the league. I know we can the best in the league, we just got to come out to work every day.”
Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow plays against the Arizona Cardinals in the first quarter Sept. 27, 2020 in Glendale, Ariz.
The Lions return all nine linemen who started games in 2021, when they did not have their projected top five together for a single snap. Left tackle Taylor Decker and center Frank Ragnow missed significant time with injuries, though both are expected back and healthy this season.
Along with Ragnow and Decker, the Lions return Jackson, Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Penei Sewell as starters, and Matt Nelson and Evan Brown as key reserves. Jackson made his first Pro Bowl last season, and Sewell played well as a rookie while splitting time between both tackle positions.
Given their depth and relative youth up front — Decker and Vaitai, who turn 29 this summer, are the oldest linemen on the roster — it would be a surprise if the Lions spent a first-round pick on a lineman for the second straight year. They could use backup depth, though, at both the tackle and interior line positions.
OTs on the roster: Taylor Decker, Penei Sewell, Matt Nelson, Dan Skipper. IOL on the roster: Frank Ragnow, Jonah Jackson, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Evan Brown, Ryan McCollum, Logan Stenberg, Tommy Kraemer.
Top 3 OT prospects: 1. Evan Neal, Alabama; 2. Ikem Ekwonu, North Carolina State; 3. Charles Cross, Ole Miss. Top 3 IOL prospects: 1….