NFL.com ranks Penei Sewell NFL debut
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Penei Sewell was dealt a tough hand in his rookie debut, tasked with blocking one of the best defensive ends in the league in San Francisco 49ers star Nick Bosa.
NFL.com ranked the Oregon product’s debut as the eight best by a rookie in the opening weekend of the season.
“Sewell faced off with Bosa plenty, dropping in pass protection against him 27 times,” Nick Shook of NFL.com said. “He allowed just four pressures, per Next Gen Stats. Sewell was just as good in the run game, finding success on his very first snap, helping down on a quick double team before peeling off to the second level and creating a seal for Jamaal Williams to gain 10 yards. He brought his motor with him from Oregon, too, displaying a dedication to finishing blocks and occasionally tossing rushers aside.”
Penei Sewell even earned compliments from Bosa for his performance.
“Sewell’s instincts and years of experience showed well enough to earn compliments from his opponent, former Defensive Rookie of the Year Nick Bose,” Shook wrote. “After Sunday’s game, Bosa said he thought Sewell is better on the left side than the right, and that he’s headed for a successful career.”
Penei Sewell played all 84 offensive snaps in Detroit’s 41-33 loss to San Francisco, dropping into pass protection on 27 snaps.
After playing left tackle for the majority of his career at Oregon, Sewell had to re-teach himself how to play tackle on the right side of the line. Then, before his rookie debut, Sewell was slotted back to his roots at left tackle following an injury to Detroit starting left tackle Taylor Decker.
According to Shook, if there was one negative about Sewell’s performance, it was his struggles against the inside move, which Bosa found success with against the rookie.
Following Sewell’s promising debut, the Lions could have a tough decision on their hands, given Sewell’s struggles in adjusting to the right side of the line in fall camp and preseason, and his natural comfort at left tackle.
Coming out of Oregon, Penei Sewell dominated in his first two seasons, before opting out of his junior season due to COVID-19. As a freshman, Sewell rated the top freshman offensive lineman overall, the No. 2 offensive lineman in the Pac-12 and the No. 7 tackle in the nation with an 84.0 grade from Pro Football Focus. As a sophomore, Sewell won the Outland Trophy, the award given to the top offensive lineman in the country and was a unanimous first-team All-American.