It seems expectations for Lions first-round right tackle Penei Sewell continue to grow. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft was tabbed as the Lions player most likely to earn his first Pro Bowl nod in 2021 by NFL.com analyst Marc Sessler.
While there aren’t a plethora of obvious candidates for the Lions to earn an initial Pro Bowl nod for the career, selecting Sewell is a bold choice. The 20-year-old rookie is changing positions and hasn’t played football in almost two years.
Undeterred by those facts, Sessler sets the bar sky-high for Sewell:
If you’re Detroit, you’d like Sewell to mimic the first season of future Hall of Famer Joe Thomas, who starred at tackle from wire to wire in 2007 and waltzed directly into the Pro Bowl. Preparation will be key as Sewell is being asked to switch from left to right tackle after opting out of his final season at Oregon. So far, so good, though, with Lions guard Jonah Jackson saying in June: “They say he’s a 20-year-old, but he acts like a grown man with how he handles himself. … You see why he was the No. 7 overall pick.”
Other Lions who could threaten to earn their first Pro Bowls in 2021 include left tackle Taylor Decker, EDGE Romeo Okwara and defensive end Michael Brockers.