Getty A Lions fan shows off a Penei Sewell jersey at the NFL Draft.
The Detroit Lions lucked out when they landed offensive tackle Penei Sewell in the 2021 NFL Draft, and there was nobody more excited for this to play out than the team’s brass.
General manager Brad Holmes as well as coach Dan Campbell were fired up for Sewell, and there was a definite worry whether or not the player would even make it to the team. The Lions were thinking of trading up, but when that move fell through, they had to rely on luck to see Sewell slip. When the Miami Dolphins picked Jaylen Waddle, that dream was realized.
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The moment the Dolphins passed on Sewell and drafted Waddle was caught on camera, and led to the moment that so many Lions fans loved in April, with Campbell and Holmes celebrating and given
Here’s a look:
You’ve all seen the reaction of the #Lions draft room after they selected Penei Sewell.
Here’s their reaction when they found out Miami was taking Waddle.
The energy this new staff has is infectious.
(via Lions/YouTube)
As Holmes said, the team had no idea what was going to happen in real-time, so it was quite dramatic to watch and wait to see who was going to be the choice of the Dolphins. As Campbell said, it was a moment where everyone was on the edge of their seat in the room. When Sewell fell, the celebration began.
Lions Celebrated After Sewell Pick
Holmes, Campbell, Sheila Ford and company were downright pumped months ago the night that Sewell slipped and fell down the board to the seventh-overall pick, and it’s clear from the reaction that the Lions were beyond fired up to get their hands on the top tackle.
After the pick, the Lions revealed a behind-the-scenes look at the phone call that brought Sewell to Detroit. It was full of excitement, passion and downright beautiful scenes from the team’s war room on draft night. Perhaps the most excited of anyone was Holmes.
Here’s a look:
“We want you in this Pride❗️”
Go behind the scenes for the call welcoming @peneisewell58 to #OnePride
Some of the best moments were Holmes dancing around and screaming, Campbell welcoming Sewell by telling him to keep playing tough and nasty and Ford celebrating with some more tempered excitement of her own.
Clearly, the team was more than pumped to get their new player into the mix.
Sewell Transitioning Well to NFL
So how has Sewell been translating to the league? So far, the returns have been good. After Sewell has come to camp, folks have been downright impressed with what he has brought to the mix as a player even in practice, including his new teammates. Count second-year guard Jonah Jackson as someone who’s eyes have been opened by Sewell already in the trenches.
Jonah Jackson on Penei Sewell: “They say he’s a 20-year-old, he acts like a grown man. … On the field, you see why he was the No. 7 overall pick, it’s very evident.”
Jackson made his transition to the NFL look like an easy one with Detroit last year as one of the most stable linemen on the team, so if he were to see Sewell as impressive early on, that would be quite the story, and great news for the Lions.
Sewell has tried to temper expectations for himself by admitting it will take time to learn the right tackle spot, but Jackson’s words do carry some weight. He has a full season of competing in the NFL under his belt and made the transition as a rookie last year. If Sewell is impressive now, it could be huge for the Lions during the season if he can keep adjusting well.
The Detroit brass clearly saw this in Sewell when he was the pick during the draft.
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