Getty Penei Sewell was selected seventh overall by the Lions in April’s 2021 NFL draft.
The Detroit Lions are trying to ease Penei Sewell back into action as they try and transition him to right tackle in the NFL, and the start has been going a bit slow early on.
Sewell didn’t have the ugly game he had in Week 1 of the preseason, but at times, he struggled again when taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Such is life when a player is trying to learn the ropes in the NFL at a new position after sitting for a season in college.
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NFL Network analyst and draft guru Daniel Jeremiah was watching and realized that Sewell was struggling right away, which he tweeted about during the game.
Sewell doesn’t look comfortable.
According to Jeremiah, the issue he sees with Sewell early on is one of the ones that he pointed out during the draft process in terms of balance.
@mortreport Seeing some of same balance issues.
While many on Twitter were making the case that Sewell skipped a year and is still getting his legs under him, Jeremiah didn’t seem to be buying that excuse.
@PSchrags @greggrosenthal True but Slater, Rousseau & Parsons look great. Everyone is different. Don’t love the position switch but time will tell.
All-told, the Lions will have to monitor Sewell’s progress. It’s tough to judge him after a pair of his first starts in the league, but even the experts contend that there could be some issues there in terms of Sewell’s development on the field.
Penei Sewell Focused on Improvement for Lions
Sewell has wasted no time turning the page from Week 1, and last week, had a good answer as it relates to what he thinks he must change to improve on the field. After being asked about that on Monday, Sewell provided a very honest and insightful answer which shows he is well aware of what must come next on the field for his own development in the league.
“Going into game two, I got to get my hands right. Right now, they are way too wide, especially going against the people in the league now. So I just got to lock in on that. Fine tune on my pad-level too, get my knee bend back and just those two things I think will separate myself,” Sewell explained.
After a rocky early start, Sewell seemed to steady himself in real-time during the game, so for him to be doing homework on what must change is certainly interesting. It shows the professionalism the young lineman brings to the table. Teammates have lauded Sewell for being very pro ready, and this shows why that is.
This week, Sewell looked a little better, and the hope is he can continue to adjust.
Dan Campbell Thinks Sewell Developing
While Sewell struggled early and rebounded for what most consider to be a so-so debut leading some to unjustly panic, Campbell had a lot to say about his rookie offensive tackle before practice on Monday, August 16, and everything was positive as it relates to where he is trending early in his career.
Speaking with the media before the Monday practice, Campbell was asked what he likes about Sewell thus far early in his career. As he told everyone, he sees Sewell as the kind of player who can adapt and overcome quickly, as he’s seen him do that during practice already.
“I think just his ability to adjust, it really shows up. The way he’s grown. There’s things he gets beat on the day before and man, it’s not happening the next day or the next rep,” Campbell said. “Just to be able to go out there and face a new opponent like the other day. He didn’t throw his hand like he had been and you see him the next rep and he does it. I just think he’s a really good athlete, he’s got the right mindset. He’s all business. He’s aggressive, but he’s also able to adapt quickly, especially for a rookie. Because he has the talent and the want to and the knowledge to work at it and everything, he is able to adjust quickly, which is a good thing.”
Obviously, it isn’t reasonable to think the coach would throw his player under the bus, but in spite of that, this quote shows that Campbell has seen some major resilience out of Sewell already in his young career. As he continues to see things, remain dedicated to his craft and work hard, improvement will most likely come. That seems to be what Campbell believes at this point in time.
While Sewell may be looking a bit uncomfortable right now, it will be interesting to see if he can push through some of the struggles.
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NFL Draft Guru Helps Explain Early Struggles of Penei Sewell