When Christian Mahogany learned that his second NFL start would come in his first playoff game, "I was preparing like a madman," he said. And then he played like one, "150 percent" on every snap. The rookie offensive lineman "did as much as I could" with the season on the line, but it wasn't enough in the Lions' stunning loss to the Commanders.
"It wasn’t the result we wanted, so I was disappointed. Especially now, knowing that Frank is gone, it’s much harder," Mahogany said Thursday after the Lions wrapped up OTA's. "I wish I could have done more, maybe, for him."
This year, Mahogany can do a lot more for the team. With the retirement of Frank Ragnow and the departure of Kevin Zeitler, the Lions have two gaping holes on their offensive line, which has long been the strength of their team. They could have as many as three new starters in the trenches, depending on the performance in camp of Graham Glasgow.
In two spot starts last season -- first for Glasgow at left guard, then for Zeitler at right guard -- Mahogany looked like he belonged. He mauled with a mean streak in the run game and held his own in pass protection, living up to what Brad Holmes said after the Lions selected him in the sixth round of last year's draft: "He's got some dirtbag in him. He's just one of those tough, Jersey kids that doesn't take a lot of crap." While Mahogany heard some of the praise for his performance after the Commanders game, "I don’t try to let that dictate my mood or my career."
"It’s just one game. It’s a small sample size," he said. "I gotta consistently do it. That’s my mindset going into this offseason and going into camp, just going to attack the day, every day. But want to continue to get better off of what you guys saw."
When the season ended and most of his teammates went home, Mahogany stuck around Detroit. What's more, he trained at the Lions facility with Penei Sewell, whose own goal this offseason was to get "bigger and stronger." The Lions are off this weekend as they head into their summer break, "but I’m just going to keep rolling right into it," Mahogany said. "Maybe a little less football stuff, but more training, physical, getting the body back." Sewell will be there with him.
Rather, Mahogany will be there with Sewell. They are separated in age by two days, both of them turning 25 in October, but in experience by three years. Mahogany has latched onto the two-time All-Pro and team captain for good reason.
"We get along really well, we mesh really well," Mahogany said. "But seeing him work hard every day even though a guy like that, he got paid already, he never stops. He’s a machine. Every day he’ll be like, 'Alright, we’re going at this time, or we’re doing this or this.' Trying to emulate that is very hard, but learning from him is a very good thing for me."
So is this: Mahogany has cross-trained at both guard spots since he arrived in Detroit, a staple of Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley's regimen for young players. He played mostly on the right at Boston College, but took lots of reps on the left this spring. The Lions may like the idea of slotting in Mahogany at left guard, returning Glasgow to right guard after he struggled on the opposite side last year while accommodating Zeitler, and inserting second-round pick Tate Ratledge at center.
"Whatever they tell me, I’ll be ready for either," said Mahogany. "Left, right, wherever Coach Fraley sees me, I don’t mind."
Detroit's O-line powered one of the best offenses in the league for the past three seasons. Ragnow's brains and brawn will be impossible to replace right away -- maybe ever -- but the Lions can't afford for the unit to stumble without him. It's too intrinsic to their identity. It's up to Mahogany, Ratledge and fellow rookie Miles Frazier to make sure the interior remains a strength, with Glasgow showing them the way.
"We have a standard in the O-line room," Mahogany said. "Frank obviously is Frank, it’s hard to replicate that. But we have a standard here, as I’ve learned. Myself, the younger guys, Tate, Miles, everyone, they’ll learn ... and maybe for some of them it’s a little bit quicker. But we’ll be ready, for sure."
Mahogany will spend the next several weeks staying sharp with Sewell, with the intention of "dominating" when camp starts next month. He wants to put on tape more of what he teased last season, which is "how I see myself, how the coaches see me, and how I want to play: aggressive nature, at all times."
Before Ragnow announced his retirement this week, he texted each of his fellow offensive linemen to let them know. His message to Mahogany was short but moving, fitting for someone who specialized in moving bodies: "I'm sorry I can't keep going." His own body would no longer allow it. It meant a lot to Mahogany, who was only teammates with Ragnow for a year.
"I texted him back, I wish him nothing but the best," Mahogany said. "But like Coach Campbell said, when it’s your time, it’s your time."
It was Ragnow's time to step away. It's Mahogany's to step up.