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The Detroit Lions have spent a lot of time and money trying to improve their offensive line.

Frank Ragnow represents the latest investment.

"It starts up front Jadeveon Clowney Jersey ," Lions general manager Bob Quinn said. "That's kind of what we believe in."

Detroit drafted the Arkansas center with the No. 20 overall pick Thursday night, hoping he can boost their lackluster running game and keep franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford upright more often.

"Those are two things he's paid to do and he does both of them equally well," Quinn said. "He played his best games against the best defenses."

The Lions ranked last in the NFL last year in rushing offense and have been among the league's worst on the ground offensively in recent seasons. Their one-dimensional offense and banged-up line led to Stafford being sacked 47 times last season.

Ragnow will have a chance to start as a rookie, likely next to guards T.J. Lang and Graham Glasgow if he plays center. He may also play guard, giving Detroit an option of playing Glasgow at center.

"He's a guy who can help us most the quickest," Quinn said.

Quinn has used the draft and free agency to bolster the offensive line, using his first pick as a general manager two years ago to take Ohio State tackle Taylor Decker No. 16 overall and Glasgow two rounds later. Last year in free agency, Quinn spent big to sign Lang and Ricky Wagner.

And now, Quinn has committed to bolster the line even more by using a first-round pick on a center and choosing to address needs on the defensive line later in the draft or free agency.

The 6-foot-5, 312-pound Ragnow is a big and powerful lineman, who ended his 42-game career without giving up a sack. He had a season-ending ankle injury last year Kavon Frazier Jersey , limiting him to seven games.

"The rehab process went way smoother than I expected," said Ragnow, adding his ankle is healthy. "It was a very routine surgery."

The Minnesota native played in nine games as a freshman in 2014 and became a full-time starter at right guard as a sophomore. He moved to center as a junior and thought entering NFL draft after grading out as the top offensive lineman in the country by Pro Football Focus.

Ragnow chose to stay in college and was a second-team preseason All-America player, but injury stunted his shot at winning awards. His father, Jon, died of a heart attack during the 2016 football season.

"He was my best friend," he said. "He was my biggest fan. Especially right now, it's bittersweet. I'm just going to keep trying to make him proud."

Despite the loss, he continued to play and was stopped after a game by Alabama coach Nick Saban, who lost his father to a heart attack while in graduate school.

"Embrace the memories and the good times that he had with his father because that will be something he can keep with him forever," Saban recalled telling Ragnow.

The Lions have second- and third-round picks Friday along with slots in the fourth Marshall Faulk Jersey , fifth and seventh rounds on Saturday. They went into the draft without a sixth-round selection, giving it up last year to acquire offensive tackle Greg Robinson from the Los Angeles Rams. Robinson started six games for the Lions, who released him in November.

The Lions had relative success a year ago in the draft, getting contributions from seven players it selected.

Detroit won three of their first four games last season and had a 6-4 record, but had setbacks in three of five games to fall out of the playoff picture and the late-season slide cost coach Jim Caldwell his job. Quinn hired Matt Patricia to lead an NFL team for the first time, reuniting with a coach he worked alongside with the New England Patriots for a dozen years.

OAKLAND, Calif. — Two teams still a bit dizzy in the aftermath of one of the most amazing finishes in NBA Finals history will tip off Game 2 on Sunday night when the Cleveland Cavaliers attempt to even their best-of-seven against the Golden State Warriors.

A 51-point performance, a late video-review reversal, a missed potential game-winning free throw, a head-scratching decision to run out the clock with the core tied and a one-sided overtime highlighted Thursday’s series opener, which Golden State captured 124-114 to go up 1-0 against the Cavaliers for the third consecutive season.

The win might have been a costly one for the Warriors Glover Quin Jersey , however, with standout guard Klay Thompson having suffered what is now being called a high left ankle sprain.

Thompson returned from the first-quarter run-in with J.R. Smith to play 45 minutes in Game 1, contributing five 3-pointers and 24 points to the win, but acknowledged in the two days between games that his leg was not 100 percent.

He is expected to play, although the Warriors list him as questionable.

That’s more encouraging than the “doubtful” tag they’ve once again applied to Andre Iguodala, whose absence was felt on the defensive end in Game 1.

That’s where LeBron James exploded for 51 points, becoming the sixth player in NBA history to go for 50 or more in an NBA Finals game.

But they came in a loss, something coach Tyronn Lue insisted Saturday his team has put in the rear-view mirror.

“From watching film and just showing some guys where we can get better, all the guys are in a great spot right now and in a great position,” he assured. “They all feel good, so we’re ready to go for Game 2.”

The Warriors saw the Cavaliers bounce back from an overtime loss in Game 1 in the 2015 Finals to pull out an overtime victory in Game 2. Golden State went on to win that series in six games.

But the next season Deion Sanders Jersey , as the defending champion, the Warriors witnessed James & Co. turn a bad situation into a good one when the Cavaliers won the final three games on the brink of elimination to capture the championship.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr didn’t see any white-flag-waving after Game 1.

“They might have been deflated (down 3-1 in 2016), and they came back and won. So we’re expecting another great effort from them,” he said.

“We’ve been through this too many times. It’s one game. The series changes with each game. All we’ve done is win one.”

Each team had a point of emphasis in the wake of Game 1.

The Warriors got all three of their big guns going offensively, with Stephen Curry (29), Kevin Durant (26) and Thompson (24) combining for 79 points. Golden State shot 51.1 percent in the game and outscored Cleveland 39-30 on 3-pointers despite shooting one fewer.

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, dominated the boards, outrebounding the Warriors 53-38. They turned 19 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points, outscoring Golden State by 11 points in that area.

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