In this series I’ll be going over who I think will be the top 20 impact players for the Lions in 2018, next up is Ezekiel Ansah.

Well I put the list together before Ziggy was placed on PUP but I’m hoping, along with others, that it is just precautionary. If it is precautionary this is a huge year for him. Definitely the most important year of his career.

Coming in franchise tagged was a good decision for both parties. Ziggy got paid and Bob Quinn has a year to evaluate if his production will merit a long, well paid contract. When he is healthy he is a game changer. He had 3 games with 3 sacks last year which is fantastic production, albeit these weren’t against top tackles. However, nobody else on the team got that kind of production. When healthy he was also dominant in years past even with his lack of experience playing the game. In theory, the more he learns the better he will get. He also has the advantage of being on the part of the team that I would consider the weakest. Which gives him more chances to shine as his competition won’t be performing to an elite level.

Getting to the quarterback is one of the most important things that a team has to do when it wants to be successful. The eagles are a prime example of that last year. Their defensive line was so disruptive that opposing quarterbacks rarely had a chance to control the game. If he gets on the field he’ll be the main piece Matt Patricia will use to achieve that disruption. When healthy he is someone other teams have to scheme against which opens up so many options for the rest of the team to make plays. While his stats might not show everything he does. He takes up the opposing offensive lines best player(s), meaning the less gifted players on the Lions line will have a better chance to perform.

List so far:

Rick Wagner – #20

Jamal Agnew – #19

Kerry Hyder – #18

Da’Shawn Hand – #17

Taylor Decker – #16

Frank Ragnow – #15

Matt Prater – #14

LeGarrette Blount – #13

Teez Tabor – #12

Devon Kennard – #11

Quandre Diggs – #10

Golden Tate – #9

Jarrad Davis – #8

Glover Quin – #7

Marvin Jones – #6

A’Shawn Robinson – #5

Kerryon Johnson – #4

Thanks for checking out the article everyone. Go Lions! Let me know what you think on Twitter @Alex_Watt_Lions and be sure to join the community on the Detroit Lions subreddit.