The Detroit Lions selected former Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, as he was considered to be one of the safest players in this class. The Outland Trophy Award winner allowed just one sack on 1,376 snaps in two years with the Ducks, and appeared to have the versatility to play in multiple spots along the offensive line. His transition to the next level hasn't been an easy one, however.
First-year head coach Dan Campbell put the former left tackle at right tackle to start the preseason, and it hasn't gone so well. According to PFF, Sewell's 27.0 pass-blocking grade ranked dead last among 47 right tackles with at least 50 offensive snaps this preseason, and he's been beaten off the edge several times.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes isn't pressing the panic button yet, though, and recently said that Sewell is ready to rise to the occasion in the regular season.
"I believe that he will be ready for Week 1 and I think he's ready now," Holmes said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "Yeah, I mean, he's going through the normal process that a rookie would go through, regardless of where he's drafted. That's a tough position to play out there on that island and he's sat out for a year. So what he's done, and I know it's magnified by what may be a hiccup here or there, but there's so much of the good stuff that maybe kind of hidden when you really kind of deep-dive the film, little subtle nuances that is going to make a big difference."
If Sewell had been drafted by another team, he could have started his career on the left side -- which he is used to playing. The Lions have Taylor Decker as their left tackle, however, so Sewell is working on flipping his technique around. He even admitted this offseason that it's been a tough task.
"It is not that easy," Sewell said in May, per the Detroit Free Press. "Man, it's a whole different feel. Again, it's like, let's say I'm right-handed so I've been writing right-handed my whole life, and then one day you're just asked to write your full name left-handed at full speed, the same speed that you write with your right hand. So yeah, it's a little bit of an adjustment."
Sewell's size, athleticism and skillset are undeniable, so there's no reason to overreact to his early struggles. The regular season is where things start to matter, and the preseason gave him some valuable reps that could help him as Detroit prepares for the San Francisco 49ers.
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