The Detroit offense sputtered and struggled in Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage in front of sun-baked fans in Allen Park, but don’t blame Frank Ragnow. The first-round rookie was phenomenal in his role as the team’s starting left guard.

Ragnow consistently stonewalled his blocking mark in pass protection. His quick feet and good sense of balance allow him to stay perfectly squared to his target when isolated. By my charting, he didn’t allow a single incursion into the backfield all day with the first-team offense going up against the starting defense.

But he’s even better in the run game. On one run to the right side, Ragnow fired out like a charging angry elephant and slammed into the linebacker in backside pursuit. No. 77 didn’t just pop him and move on, though; Ragnow maintained contact to ensure a cutback lane was wide open. He kept the block going after the whistle, a rare extracurricular activity in this Lions camp.

There’s a definite early coordination and chemistry between Ragnow and left tackle Taylor Decker. The two first-rounders have a lot of pressure to perform to bolster the team’s anemic run game and keep franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford comfy in the pocket. Over the two days I’ve been in Allen Park, they look capable of dominating foes.

The fans in attendance surely took note. Normally offensive linemen are pretty low on the autograph pecking order. When Ragnow came over to the stands he was greeted like a conquering hero. That’s not typical, folks…and a strong indication of just how impressive Detroit’s first-round pick is already.