Finding Broncos: Scouting Oregon OT Penei Sewell
Welcome to Finding Broncos, our annual prospect-by-prospect series deep-diving on the coming NFL draft class. The scouting continues with Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell, a prospect some consider the best offensive lineman in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Measurables
- Height: 6 foot 5
- Weight: 325 pounds
Pros
- Has good balance on the majority of his reps.
- How quickly he gets off the snap and into his quick-slide is good for the NFL.
- Seems like if he doesn’t put a defender on the ground, he takes it personally with how competitive he is.
- His lateral agility, while not great, is good enough for the NFL.
- His length seems to be good enough and he uses is well.
- Plays with good bend and uses leverage when driving.
- The power in his hands is elite and it pops with his punch every single time.
- He can break down pass rushers very well and read their plan of attack as it develops.
- His elite quality is his power to just move defenders at will essentially.
- When he has to drop and anchor against bull rushers, it is hard to drive him back or put him on skates.
- The attitude and snap to snap mentality are there in spades.
- He can work in any scheme, though outside zone isn't a natural fit, and offers up left or right versatility and the option to possibly kick inside to guard.
Cons
- There are some occasions, about a handful each game, where he will get heavy on the outside and open himself up for an inside counter.
- Needs to be more consistent with his base as his feet can get too close making it easy to bowl him over.
- Overall consistency can be better on the technical side of things.
- He has a quick kick-slide, but at times he can cut it short opening the outside or be a little late against faster rushers on the edge.
Overview
Sewell has been the pride and joy of this offensive tackle class for a couple of years. There are key things he has to work on if he wants to have an excellent career at offensive tackle, but he is still quite young and learning.
The raw strength and power he has to manhandle defenders isn’t something that can be taught, and that will be big for the NFL. You can’t teach the physical traits, but you can teach them to play football and that is sort of where Sewell is.
He isn’t a completely raw tackle, but he has a really good foundation that just has to be developed. Teams also will value his versatility and having guard as a backup option.
Fit with Broncos
The expectation is that Sewell will be off the board by the time the Broncos pick, but if he managed to fall to nine, Denver would be wise to get him. Ja’Wuan James is likely done in Denver after this season and who knows how many games he will actually play.
They need to find a future option and Sewell can play either tackle spot. In fact, adding Sewell would probably be an upgrade over James. It doesn’t hurt that Denver has Mike Munchak who is one of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL and a perfect match to develop Sewell.
Grade: Round 1
Where he goes: Round 1
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