Penei Sewell Takes 'Pride' in Protecting Quarterback Jared Goff
In the midst of a 1-11-1 season, there haven't been many positives to speak of for the Detroit Lions.
One of the few bright spots, though, has been the continued development of Penei Sewell, the Lions' 2021 first-round draft pick.
Although the former Oregon Ducks standout has had to line up at both left and right tackle this season because of the flurry of injuries experienced by Detroit, he still has yet to endure many of the typical growing pains endured by rookies.
Sewell, in fact, has recorded a Pro Football Focus grade of 90.3 since moving to right tackle in Week 10 -- the second-best grade among all right tackles and third-best mark among all offensive tackles in that span of time. He also just received the highest PFF grade of any offensive tackle in Week 14 (91.0).
His stretch of strong performances at the right tackle position has played a part in boosting the first-year pro's confidence.
"Definitely boosts it a lot. Just kind of going out there and being really comfortable, not getting in my head a lot," Sewell told reporters Wednesday. "Now, I'm just going out and playing the game I love, and just going out there and being me and not thinking too much of it. It feels good."
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There's also this stat: Over his last 300 pass-blocking snaps, he's done a top-notch job in keeping Detroit starting signal-caller Jared Goff upright, allowing just one sack. It's something the 21-year-old certainly takes pride in.
"There's really no pride in locking up the person or name across from you. The pride is knowing that Jared's clean, in my mind, and that everybody else on that line and everybody else in this locker room can trust me to do my job to the best of my abilities," Sewell commented. "And that's where I really come alive and where my motivation comes from."
Through his first 13 games in the league, the 6-foot-5, 331-pounder has proven that he belongs on an NFL offensive line, and he's enjoyed his personal journey every step of the way.
"From the ups to the downs, everything about it is everything I ever dreamed of and more," Sewell said. "I'm just really having fun out here, with this locker room, getting to know each and every one of them and their background stories. And, it creates, again when I go back to motivation, it creates that fire in me to really give more and to give more and more until I can't."
Sewell's experiences as a one-time highly-touted draft prospect and now a successful rookie have made him an individual that the future generation of NFL players can look up to and pick the brain of.
One college player who recently did just that is Oregon EDGE rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, who has frequently been talked about as the Lions' top target with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
“I talked to him last week, and I was asking him about the different games and the different things he has to do,” Thibodeaux told NFL insider Josina Anderson. “He was talking about how now this is his only job. So, he really gets to love it and enjoy it and not have that weight on his shoulders of turning in papers, going to class or doing different things. Now, he can focus on his body, he can focus on his mental health, and then he can really focus on his family and playing football. Just knowing that and knowing you have all the time in the world to hone in on your craft, it just made me happy all over again.”
The one-time Ducks teammates could very well be future Lions teammates a season from now. If such occurs, I'd chalk that up as a win for the city of Detroit and its NFL franchise.
