Sitting with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions were visibly ecstatic in their draft room when offensive tackle Penei Sewell fell to them. When defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was available at No. 2 overall in the 2022 draft, the league apparently didn't love how quickly they turned in the card with his name on it.
Sewell and Hutchinson have gone from being the first two first-round picks of the Brad Holmes-Dan Campbell era in Detroit to becoming the core pillars they were envisioned to be. Both now have contracts that place them among the highest-paid at their positions, while setting an example for their teammates to follow by working like they were Day 3 draft picks.
And iron has clearly sharpened iron on the practice field over the last few seasons, with Sewell at right tackle and Hutchinson operating on the left side of the defense the majority of the time. Sewell moving to left tackle this season will take away some of those individual battles during camp, etc., but there will still be some.
The Lions have more than one face of the franchise
Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report has ranked the top-20 "true franchise players" in the NFL heading toward the 2026 season. The length of the list naturally means many teams don't have a single representative, and few have two viable candidates for that distinction.
When I say few, I mean one. The Lions have two players on Gagnon's list; Hutchinson at No. 17 and Sewell at No. 10.
17. Detroit Lions Edge Aidan Hutchinson
The 25-year-old former No. 2 overall pick is coming off a 100-pressure season that included a career-high 14.5 sacks and four forced fumbles as he earned second-team All-Pro honors.
"He did that while coming off a severe leg injury suffered in 2024. So don't be surprised if Hutchinson builds on that campaign and a healthy offseason to become a top-tier Defensive Player of the Year candidate in 2026."
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10. Detroit Lions OT Penei Sewell
"Now Detroit's man on the blind side, Sewell was the highest-graded qualified offensive tackle in the league at Pro Football Focus in 2025."
"Still just 25, Sewell is already a three-time first-team All-Pro. He has missed just one game in five NFL seasons and has taken just three holding penalties in his last 33 games. That truly puts him on a Hall of Fame track half a decade into his career."
A lot of times, the quarterback gets naturally anointed as the face of a franchise. The Lions instead have two home-grown studs, albeit at similarly premium positions, with a healthy and enviable debate about who the face of their franchise is.
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