Lions star Penei Sewell is the most valuable offensive tackle over past two seasons in PFF grading
When looking at Pro Football Focus (PFF), there’s a bunch of tools, data and analytics that help paint a picture on how good players in the NFL are at their position. These tools help rank these players by position and overall groupings.
For Penei Sewell, he’s been one of the highest ranked offensive tackles since he entered the league in 2021. According to PFF, Sewell earned a 93.1 PFF run-blocking grade — one of the best single-season marks of the past 18 seasons.
Meanwhile, he only allowed one sack in pass protection last season. Over the last two seasons, Sewell has been the highest rated offensive tackle according to the PFF WAR Data over the last two seasons. The PFF WAR data helps determine the following on a player:
Positional Value
Stability
What to expect moving forward
Looking at the PFF WAR for other offensive tackles selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, Sewell has been the highest ranked tackle to this point. Penei Sewell has a WAR of 1.24. Meanwhile, Christian Darrisaw has a WAR of 0.78 and Rashawn Slater is at 0.72 for his WAR.
Overall, Sewell is ranked as the 28th player in the PFF Top-50 players list for last season. He wasn’t ranked higher than Lane Johnson or Tristan Wirfs but regardless, PFF still recognizes Sewell as one of the best tackles in football. At 23-years old, there’s no doubt that we’re witnessing not just one of the best tackles in football but one of the best players in football. For more on the PFF Top-50 for 2024, you can check out the list here!
There are plenty of OT prospects for the Colts in this draft.
The Indianapolis Colts may have an idea of what their starting offensive tackle duo will look like entering the 2023 NFL draft, but depth and competition are needed in the worst way.
With only Bernhard Raimann and Braden Smith as players with experience on the roster, the Colts also have Jordan Murray and Carter O’Donnell rounding out the room. That’s it. We should expect the Colts to add a free agent after the draft, but depth is needed.
It’s a pretty solid draft class for offensive tackles. A lot of them have starting experience and versatility on both sides of the line. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Colts added two offensive tackle prospects with their nine selections.
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As we break down the prospects by round, think of the “rounds” as tiers and when I believe the team should begin to consider drafting them.
We also created big boards at the following positions:
Our Russell Brown highlights some later-round OTs that can take over the important No. 3 tackle role in Detroit
This past week, the Detroit Lions had some notable news that they wouldn’t be giving an RFA offer to offensive tackle Matt Nelson. I’d consider that significantly important as the Lions don’t have much for a backup tackle on the roster.
Dan Skipper is set to hit the free agent market and while he could be back, he’s only started in 5 games while playing in a total of 29 games. Aside from Skipper, they’ve got two practice squad tackles with Obinna Eze and Darrin Paulo. While they could surprise us, I still wouldn’t expect much contribution from either player if the Lions were in a pinch. Time will tell with both of those players.
That’s why having a player like Matt Nelson on the roster was nice. He wasn’t overly impressive, but when he spot-started two years ago, there were some flashes. During his 40-game career with the Lions, Nelson started 12 games and played 987 snaps. Meanwhile, he only gave up 3 sacks in his career while playing as an in-line tight end and right tackle.
There’s a chance that the Lions bring back Nelson or Skipper, or they could bring back both players. The next week or so, we’ll find out what the depth chart looks like at offensive tackle for the Lions. If neither player is back, specifically Matt Nelson, the Lions will be in need of another offensive tackle. Let’s take a look at three offensive tackles that the Lions could consider during the 2023 NFL Draft!
Tyler Steen, OT, Alabama
Over the past week or so, I watched the tape of Alabama offensive tackle Tyler Steen and the more I watched, the more I liked. He checked into the Scouting Combine at 6’6″ and 321 pounds with 32 3/4″ arms. An impressive feat for Steen because when I asked around about him, many people thought he’d move inside to guard due to his arm length.
Watched Alabama OT Tyler Steen yesterday and the more I watched, the more I liked his overall game. He's not a perfect prospect and will need some refinement but plenty to like within his game.
That might not be the case after he checked into the Scouting Combine and put up 31 reps in the bench press. But if that’s not enough for you to buy-in, you can go to the tape. In the three games I watched of Steen, you’ll see his ability to anchor and reset his hands consistently against the opposition.
Meanwhile, he’s got the desired foot speed to match speed rushers off the edge or those that try to cross his face with an inside pass rush move. He’s got strong hands and displays the ability to turn and redirect defenders while opening rushing lanes.
Prior to playing at Alabama, Steen was a starting tackle at Vanderbilt. During his 3 years with the Commodores, he had over 1400 snaps at left tackle and almost 800 snaps at right tackle. While he gave up 11 sacks at Vanderbilt, he cleaned up much of his technique at Alabama and only gave up 2 sacks this past season for the Crimson Tide (per PFF).
On my board, Steen ended up with a solid third-round grade, but he could very well be available during the early portion of Day 3 of the 2023 NFL draft. Whether it’s the 3rd or 4th round, the Lions should pounce on the opportunity of selecting Tyler Steen out of Alabama. He’d provide guard and tackle flexibility for Detroit, which the Lions will desperately need moving forward.
RichardGouraige, OT, Florida
Per editor Jeff Risdon’s request, I’ve got to talk about Richard Gouraige from Florida. And I’m glad I get to do that because Gouraige was someone that I wasn’t going to watch until closer to the draft but he had some impressive flashes on tape.
Measuring at the Combine at 6’5″ and 306 pounds with 34″ arms, Gouraige checked off a lot of boxes. Another one of those players that got labeled as a potential player to move inside to guard, he might end up finding a spot at tackle for a team. While he didn’t do any of the drills at the Combine, his frame is intriguing, and it stands out with his strong lower half.
When putting on the tape, Gouraige plays under control and shows the consistent ability to reset his hands. He’s got strong hands and is able to steer defenders away from quarterbacks and running backs while also being able to maul them into the ground. Meanwhile, he utilizes his length by locking out defenders and preventing them from even sniffing around the pocket. Now, there are times that he’s slow out of the gate and his foot speed will get tested against faster pass rushers or a blitz off the edge.
At around 9:20 pm, one player wandered onto an empty Lucas Oil field
Per PFF, he played over 2600 career snaps with over 1500 of those snaps coming at left tackle and the rest coming at left guard. The more impressive stat for Gouraige is that he’s only given up four sacks in his career.
It’s worth noting that I do know of the Lions staff and scouting staff to be at Florida Gator games at least five times this year. Maybe they were there for a defensive player, quarterback Anthony Richardson or right guard O’Cyrus Torrence. But there could also be a chance that they were down there to get their eyes on Richard Gouraige. It’ll be interesting to see how it all shakes out but Lions fans need to keep tabs on Gouraige during the third day of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Carter Warren, OT, Pittsburgh
It’s somewhat shocking that when people talk about finding a swing tackle in the middle rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft, they don’t talk more about Carter Warren. Maybe it’s because he’s coming off an injury but I think this prospect deserves more buzz. While his tape doesn’t scream elite, it’s still very good.
Warren checked into the Scouting Combine at 6’5″ and 311 pounds with 35 3/8″ arms. Maybe we’d be talking about him more if he would have worked out at the Combine but unfortunately, he’s saving that for his Pro Day. We do know that Warren is a long-armed offensive tackle that plays light on his feet.
For the 2023 NFL Draft, my favorite mid-round OT is Carter Warren from Pittsburgh. He was only limited to four games this past year due to a season ending injury but he'll participate at the Scouting Combine and I'm intrigued with how he'll test. Listed at 6-5 and 325, this is a… https://t.co/YI26BX8EOYpic.twitter.com/ac8Rn92vna
While he does have quick feet and great length, Warren does have a thinner lower half and doesn’t always keep his base as wide as he should. This does allow him to get knocked around or to play off-balance. But he does a good job of working his hands and is able to transfer his weight consistently from his post-foot to his set foot.
Much of this has transitioned to success during his four-year career for Pittsburgh. Per PFF, he’s played over 2100 career snaps at left tackle and has only given up six sacks in his career. Looking at his athletic frame and length, Warren screams to be a mid-round prospect. There’s a good chance he becomes a swing tackle for an NFL team, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he carved out some type of starting role for a team.
It’s taken a few years too long, but Taylor Moton’s game is finally starting to get the respect it deserves.
It’s taken a few years too long, but Taylor Moton’s game is finally starting to get the respect it deserves. The Panthers’ right tackle has generally flown under the radar despite blocking at a high level for both the pass and the run for three consecutive seasons since he became a full-time starter. Moton’s name is beginning to carry more weight, though.
The latest evidence we have of his rise is a new ranking of the top 11 offensive tackles in the NFL by Touchdown Wire. Moton came in at No. 8 on the list.
“Last season was his best, though, both in metrics and on film. While he did allow three sacks, he gave up no quarterback hits and 16 quarterback hurries in 657 pass-blocking reps. . . The Panthers have a lot of questions along their offensive line right now, but Moton isn’t one, as the team placed the franchise tag on the veteran, guaranteeing him $13,754 million for the 2021 season. A long-term extension should be high on the Panthers’ priority list.”
Most of the fault for not extending Moton has to fall on former general manager Marty Hurney’s shoulders. However, every week Moton plays without a long-term contract in place his pricetag will grow – and it’s already substantial. Lane Johnson’s mega-deal with the Eagles is an outlier, but high-end right tackles on average are earning around $10-$15 million per year on their contracts.
