Lions expert gives 1 perfect reason to keep Penei Sewell at right tackle

As the NFL draft approaches, the Detroit Lions find themselves wrestling with important questions across their roster, most notably along the offensive line.

While they have options and flexibility, one of the most compelling debates centers on whether All-Pro tackle Penei Sewell will remain on the right side or move to the left to protect Jared Goff’s blindside now that they've moved on from Taylor Decker.

Sewell, widely regarded as one of, if not the best, tackles in football, brings a rare versatility to the table, a luxury that few teams possess.

Unlike many players who can be limited to a single side, Sewell’s ability to anchor either position (LT/RT) gives general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell a plethora of flexibility as they won't need to be painted into a corner like other teams with specific needs as they continue to prepare for the draft.

If you were to head into the lab hoping to create the perfect offensive tackle, Sewell would come closest to the objective. He's the perfect blend of agility mixed with a road-grader’s strength, consistently winning one-on-one battles against elite edge rushers in both pass and run situations.

When deployed as a lead blocker out in space, Sewell’s nimbleness allows him to engage and neutralize smaller, athletic defenders, making him a force at all three levels of the defense. His impact goes beyond individual performance. Last season, Sewell developed a strong bond with rookie guard Tate Ratledge on the right side of the offensive line, which helped build effective chemistry.

Despite Taylor Decker’s recent decline at left tackle, his presence allowed Sewell to thrive on the right. The Lions’ offseason moves, including the addition of Cade Mays at center, will surely help improve the interior part of the unit, as Mays is a significant upgrade to veteran Graham Glasnow, but concerns linger regarding Christian Mahogany’s reliability at left guard.

Pro Football Focus graded Mahogany at 59.7 overall last season, which included a terrible 40.7 mark as a pass blocker, ranking 77th out of 81 qualified guards.

This suggests that even if Sewell is moved to the left side, it may not fully mask Mahogany's deficiencies, leaving room for Miles Frazer or a draft addition to emerge as a solution. I will add, though, that it is a lot easier to hide a poor offensive guard than it is a tackle.

The addition of Mays should help whoever is at left guard, as the center often has an opportunity to assist either guard with a double-team block if there isn't a blitzer coming right up the middle.

Is it time the Detroit Lions move Penei Sewell to the left side?

As Colton Pouncy of The Athletic recently pointed out, the Lions’ strength was running to the right: 186 rush attempts (sixth-most), 1.7 second-level yards per attempt (fifth), 4.6% DVOA (10th), and 0.034 EPA per rush (16th in the NFL). In contrast, the left side lagged with 139 rush attempts (24th), 1.3 second-level yards per attempt (21st), -20.4% DVOA (30th), and -0.101 EPA per rush (29th).

These numbers highlight the difference and support the argument for keeping Sewell paired with Ratledge on the right, though the possibility remains that shifting him to the left could help mask the team's deficiencies and the looming uncertainty at left guard.

At the owners meetings in Phoenix last week, Dan Campbell was pretty adamant about what he'd like to do with Sewell, and he doesn't believe it would take much polishing either.

“Very confident. “That’s easy. I’ve talked to him. We’re ready to do that, if need be. I don’t want to say that right now I’m going to commit to that, but that’s — I mean, we’re ready to do that. … It’s a little bit like riding a bike for him. He’ll be fine. He’ll bank some reps and be able to do it. He gives us that flexibility. If you’re asking me, I’d like to move him. I would. I would like to move him to left.”

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Regardless of where he plays, you can hang your hat on Sewell being extremely effective. According to Pro Football Focus, he further cemented his elite status with a 95.2 overall grade in 2025 (1st among 89 tackles), which included an 80.3 pass-blocking mark (11th) and a staggering 96.8 run-blocking grade (1st).

He allowed just 19 total pressures, including two sacks and six quarterback hits, and was flagged for only two accepted penalties across 998 total snaps. This performance marks a clear improvement over his 2024 campaign, where he was still an elite tackle, earning an 87.5 overall grade, 74.1 in pass blocking (33rd), and 90.5 in run blocking (2nd).

As Pouncy also mentioned, if Sewell does shift to left tackle, newly acquired Larry Borom is expected to start on the right (as of now), unless the Lions opt to use a high draft pick on another tackle, potentially relegating Borom to a swing role.

Borom totaled 664 offensive snaps last season, all of which were at the right tackle position for the Miami Dolphins. He earned a PFF grade of 60.7, which included a decent pass blocking mark of 67.1 and a run block grade of 54.4, which, in my opinion, for a right tackle, is subpar.

I'd be content with Borom as the first tackle off the bench, but I'd really prefer the Lions use a premium draft pick on a tackle to solidify their offensive line and get back to the identity they carved out for themselves two years ago of imposing their will in the trenches and pounding the rock.

In closing, I feel as though the Lions are not boxed in by positional need as the draft looms. They have the freedom to select the best player available, which allows any rookie tackle to play their preferred side, with Sewell tormenting defenders opposite them.