This year, the Detroit Lions can take pride in the way they have built their roster for the future and what they have managed to do in order to create a stable footing for 2022 and beyond.
Perhaps one of the biggest points of pride for the team should be the fact that the Lions managed to have one of the top rookie classes in the league. The Lions got production out of nearly every rookie they drafted this year in addition to some undrafted players, and as a result, they have one of the top classes in the league.
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Recently, Pro Football Focus and writer Michael Renner helped put a bow on the 2021-22 regular season by taking a final look at the site’s top graded rookies through Week 18. Perhaps surprisingly, the Lions had a pair of players on the list in wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown and tackle Penei Sewell, a pair who are also seen as possible cornerstone talents.
St. Brown checked in safely in the top 10 in the seven spot, and Renner wrote that the team appears to have found something special in the wideout at the top of the fourth round being how he finished the year. Sewell placed in the 11 position just behind St. Brown, and Renner said that his presence helped turn the Lions from a nightmare to potentially one of the best offensive lines in football being how he graded out.
Obviously, the way both of these players finished the year is to be commended. St. Brown finished as the hottest wideout in football given yards and touchdowns. Sewell, meanwhile, played in every game as a rookie. As a result, this duo is looking like foundational pieces for the team.
It’s hard to argue that whatsoever when thinking about the metrics as well.
Brad Holmes Praises St. Brown’s Season
While St. Brown may have surprised some folks with a big season on the field, he didn’t surprise Detroit general manager Brad Holmes. While Holmes admitted it did take some time for St. Brown to come on, he also conceded that the team was very happy to have landed him in the first place given the type of player he looked to be when he talked to the media on Tuesday, January 11.
“He’s another one, he was who we thought he was going to be. You can say, he’s a fourth-round pick, you’re not expecting it. Amon-Ra, and I said it to you guys early after we drafted him, he reminded me of some of the guys we had when we were back in Los Angeles,” Holmes told the media in his year-ending press conference. “I believe that he showed that in his own way. He’s a culture fit for what we’re all about I think everything kind of clicked for him kind of late. We always knew he had the intangibles and work ethic. He’s just a pro’s pro and the way that he’s wired, that equated to a lot of his success on top of his physical ability.”
With that quote in mind, it makes sense that t he Lions would love what St. Brown brings to the mix. Expect him to get even more attention next year as he continues to evolve into one of the better weapons in the game. Clearly, Detroit’s general manager knows what he has on his hands.
Sewell Enjoyed Strong Rookie Season During 2021
To say that the 2021-22 season was a strong start for Sewell as well is more than a bit of an understatement. The offensive tackle excelled no matter where he was playing, and managed to catch the eye of sites like Pro Football Focus multiple times. Sewell was one of the top-graded tackles in the league as a rookie, and routinely opened eyes for his ability to keep whomever was playing quarterback for the Lions upright as well as helping the running game succeed. Sewell did not crack the Pro Bowl for his rookie work, but the fact he was stable on the field should be enough of a plus for the Lions moving forward. As a whole, Sewell started 16 total games for the Lions and was a mainstay up front for the team. Perhaps the signature moment for Sewell is when he refused to back down from Aaron Donald in a game:
Though he seemed unhappy with the results, the Lions should be happy with what Sewell accomplished and also love the fact that the rookie is hungry to keep building upon what figures to be a decent start by anyone else’s calculations.
Along with St. Brown, Sewell is just another rookie that makes it look as if the Lions are in solid position for the future.
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Pair of Lions’ Young Stars Crack PFF’s Highest-Graded Rookie List