Notes: Detroit Lions grab a different guard in ESPN’s 2018 NFL re-draft

Now that the 2018 season is over for 30 of 32 NFL teams, one common exercise during the offseason is to revisit the draft. It hasn’t even been a full year since the Detroit Lions took Frank Ragnow with the 20th overall pick. But knowing what we know now, would the Lions have gone a different way if given the gift of hindsight?

That’s what ESPN looked to find out with their 2018 NFL re-draft. Analysts for every team re-drafted based on the team’s needs and what we know about the rookie class now.

Interestingly enough, Michael Rothstein didn’t change positions for the Lions’ pick, but did change the player. With the 20th overall pick, Rothstein re-drafted Giants guard Will Hernandez to the Lions, who ended up going 34th overall in the actual 2018 draft.

In terms of efficiency, both Hernandez and Ragnow had similar rookie years. Hernandez finished with a 65.8 PFF grade, while Ragnow graded out at 61.9. Hernandez was a little better at pass blocking, but Ragnow beat him at run blocking—which is something the Lions clearly valued in Ragnow.

In the re-draft, Ragnow only dropped one spot, going to the Bengals, who were reportedly interested in drafting Ragnow in real life.

• Lions general manager Bob Quinn talked with Tori Petry on the importance of the Senior Bowl and where the team is at in their draft process:

• Niners Nation has a really good recap of Day 1 from the Senior Bowl, and while it has a spin on the 49ers’ needs, there’s some useful information for Lions fans, too.

• Speaking of the Senior Bowl, the Lions will be meeting with small-school edge defender John Cominsky out of Charleston on Wednesday.

• Pro Football Focus is apparently giving out hardware now, and Damon Harrison Sr. finally got himself some well-deserved postseason honors:

• The Detroit Lions have the third-worst odds (100:1) to win the 2020 Super Bowl, tied with the Cardinals, Bills, Bengals, Broncos, Jets and Raiders. Only Washington (150:1) and Miami (300:1) have worse odds.

• Here’s the best on-field audio and video from the Detroit Lions for the 2018 season: