With First Game Under His Belt, Penei Sewell Has 'Settled Down'

Offensive lineman Penei Sewell will be under the microscope all throughout his rookie campaign in the National Football League.

Being selected in the top 10 of the NFL Draft inherently comes with increased attention and scrutiny, especially now that the Chicago Bears may have found their quarterback of the future in Justin Fields, who was selected four spots after Sewell with the No. 11 overall pick.

Despite a rocky start at Ford Field that included getting beaten badly by Buffalo Bills rookie Gregory Rousseau the first series of the game, the 20-year-old settled in, and was mostly effective in his debut.

He recorded 22 snaps, and only allowed just that one pressure across 13 pass-blocking snaps. He finished his debut with a PFF grade above 60.

"It's like when I was first introduced to this game, when I fell in love with it. I felt like a little kid out there for real," Sewell told reporters on Monday following practice. "To put on that helmet, run out that tunnel with the smoke and all the lights -- man, just gave me a different type of energy that I missed. It just felt like a kid out there, having fun and enjoying the game."

Sewell also discussed the ongoing process of him continuing to get better, following his NFL preseason debut.

"It kind of goes to the mentality that I've kind of picked up over the years -- it's the next play," Sewell commented. "Because at the end of the day, I can't really change what just happened and what happened in the past. I just got to focus on what's next and go from there."

This weekend, the Lions will travel for the first time this preseason to square off against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For Sewell, he believes that improvements in a couple areas will allow him to make strides this preseason.

"Going into game two, I have got to get my hands right," he said. "As of right now, they're way too wide, especially going against the people in the league now. So, I just got to lock in on that, fine tune my pad level to get my knee bent back. Just those two things, I think would separate myself."

Moving forward with a game under his belt, the talented rookie is expected to play his game and develop steadily.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell has stated on multiple occasions that he expects an inexperienced player in the league to make mistakes and to get beat occasionally.

"I thought he handled himself with those guys pretty good. He needs those reps. For him to come out and not get beat, I would be shocked," Campbell said, following the Bills game. "We can't forget he's still a rookie, he's still developing and learning. This was great for him, just to get a different opponent. So, it’s good.”

With film he can turn on and corrections he can make, working with offensive line coach Hank Fraley, Detroit's new right tackle feels he can settle down more.

"Now that I got that first game under my belt already, all the nerves are kind of settled down a little bit more. I can go out there, know what to expect somewhat, and just go out there and have fun and play ball."