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It obviously hasn’t been the kind of season the Detroit Lions were hoping for at the halfway point of 2020. At 3-5, there’s not much hope that the team will compete for a playoff spot, and that could mean there are some big, sweeping changes coming soon.
But that isn’t to say the Lions have no redeeming qualities about them. There are some individuals that will be a part of this team for years to come, regardless of who is running the personnel departments. There may even be a player or two that earns some postseason honors this year, whether it be a Pro Bowl or All-Pro nods.
PFF did a good job of reminding us of that with their Midseason First and Second All-Pro Teams, announced on Wednesday morning. Three Lions players donned the list, one of which may surprise you.
Only one Lions player made the first team, and he’s arguably been the team’s best player thus far. Punter Jack Fox leads the NFL in punting average, both net and overall. He’s also far and away the best by PFF’s standards.
“The gap between Fox and the rest of the NFL field has closed over the past month, but he remains the only punter in the league with a PFF grade above 90.0 thanks to the combination of hang time, direction and distance on his punts,” PFF’s Sam Monson wrote.
As for the second-team appearances, the Lions have one on each side of the ball: third-year center Frank Ragnow on offense and veteran safety Duron Harmon on defense.
Ragnow currently has the second-highest grade amongst NFL centers (78.0) behind only Green Bay’s Corey Linsley, who took up PFF’s first-team All Pro spot. Ragnow has not only excelled as a run blocker and shown improvements in the passing game, but he’s also been extremely reliable—playing every single snap so far this season.
As for Harmon, his place on the list is a mild surprise. Harmon hasn’t played poorly by any stretch of the imagination, but with just four passes defended and two interception, it’s a bit unexpected to see him among the top two in the league. His PFF grade of 77.0 is currently fourth among all NFL safeties, as he’s been a steady force in coverage this year.