The Detroit Lions drafted Penei Sewell in 2021, and it's safe to say five years out, that development was a major win for the franchise and continues to be.
From day one, Sewell stepped in and was a rock up front for the Detroit offensive line. When the franchise asked him to move from right tackle to left tackle, he has done that seamlessly with no complaints. Not only is he an elite player, but a team player as well.
While Sewell has been great, he's also 26, and has been around the block in the league. Is there a chance for him to be even better, or has he reached his full potential already? Fortunately, there's good news there as well according to Dan Campbell.
As Campbell explained after Detroit's bye week, he has been encouraged by Sewell's transition to left tackle, and on film, he sees a player that is still growing and has the potential for more even as he is playing in his sixth NFL season and has logged plenty of snaps in the league.
"The switch has been outstanding and yes, I have (seen growth). I still feel an ascending player. I feel like in some regards he looks even more smooth than he did at right (tackle) and I never thought he looked out of place at right or didn't look smooth. It almost feels like he's found even another little gear. His ability to get out of his stance and anchor and punch and run off the football, it's just a credit to him. He's banked a lot of reps and honestly, he can go anywhere. You can put him in at left, you can put him at right. That's why we move him a little bit, but he's playing high-level football right now at left tackle."
Sewell has been a four-time Pro Bowler and a three-time NFL All-Pro thus far in the league, and could get even better as his career goes on. That paints the picture of a player who could be a surefire Hall of Famer by the time of his career ends, and could end up as potentially one of the best offensive linemen ever depending on his health.
Sewell credits Aidan Hutchinson for raising the bar during practice
The good news for the Lions? Their young roster is as big a reason as any that their players are able to maintain their edge on the league. Sewell himself has used that to his advantage, and the battle between him and Hutchinson in practice has been a big reason why he has started hot in his career.
During training camp, Sewell admitted that he used the practice battles with Hutchinson to improve every day. As he said, he's lucky to be able to go against a talented player like that all the time and uses it to his major advantage.
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"I think I've said this multiple times. I don't take anything for granted and I don't take those matchups for granted because not everyone's able to go against someone like that in practice. Every day, day in and day out, (we're) just battling. Every time our rep is about to happen, I just know I've got to lock in and if I'm able to block that guy, I can block anyone."
So far, Sewell has been able to block mostly everyone else in the league. His hard work and his mindset leaves plenty of room for him to improve, and in the next handful of years, he could be even better than he already has been. That's as good a reason as any for prolonged football excitement in Detroit.
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