Tag: Penei Sewell

Penei Sewell was the only offensive tackle to accomplish this feat last season

Lions standout Penei Sewell was the only offensive tackle to accomplish this pass protection feat last season

In 2021, the Detroit Lions sprinted to the podium to select Penei Sewell with the 7th overall pick. Since then, he’s become a foundational piece to the Lions franchise.

He’s played and started in 50 games in his career and was only inactive for the last regular season game of his rookie season. With that, Sewell has been voted to the Pro Bowl twice in his career (2022 and 2023) and last season he earned First-Team All-Pro Honors.

Adding to this, Sewell was the only offensive tackle to accomplish a rare feat in the NFL last season. According to data compiled by The 33rd Team, Sewell was the only OT last season to allow less than 20 pressures while having over 500 pass-blocking snaps.

In addition to that data, he was PFF’s highest-graded offensive tackle in the NFL last season. He also led all tackles in total snap count across the regular season and playoffs. He only committed seven penalties and only allowed one sack.

This has helped Sewell earn a four-year contract extension with the Lions that is worth $112 million dollars. The contract makes him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history and keeps him in Detroit through the 2029 season. Rank him where you want but for my money, he’s the best right tackle in football.

Where Ravens’ Ronnie Stanley landed in a PFF ranking of the Top 32 offensive tackles

Baltimore Ravens veteran Ronnie Stanley landed at No. 20 in a PFF ranking of the top 32 NFL offensive tackles

Ronnie Stanley is back in Baltimore in what could be his final season with the Ravens after the team created upward of $8 million in salary cap space by reworking the veteran left tackle contract.

With the move, Baltimore significantly reduced his $26.2M cap hit, the second-largest on the team behind Lamar Jackson.

It also ensured that Stanley returned to the Ravens for his ninth NFL season.

Stanley has moments when he was considered by some to be one of the best at his position, but his reputation and production have decreased over the past few seasons due to poor play and injury. PFF released their annual offensive tackle rankings, and former Ravens and current Jets right tackle Morgan Moses (18th) landed higher on the list than Stanley.

20. RONNIE STANLEY, BALTIMORE RAVENS
Stanley’s best years seem to be behind him. He has not played more than 900 snaps in a season since 2019 and has not earned a PFF grade over 71.0 in any of his last three seasons. However, when he’s healthy, the Notre Dame product can still be a solid pass protector for stretches. In fact, his 2023 pass-blocking grade of 75.9 ranked 22nd among offensive tackles.

The talented offensive tackle has started every game since he was a rookie in 2016 and has dealt with injuries since 2019. He played seven games between the 2020 and 2021 seasons and missed five in 2022.

In 2023, Stanley missed four games, dealt with injuries throughout this season, and spent the final stretch on a pitch count.

When Stanley is healthy, he’s a solid player but hasn’t been a Pro Bowler or All-Pro player since 2019.

In 2023, Stanley finished 37th in PFF’s overall grades, 22nd in pass blocking, and 41st in run blocking behind backup Patrick Mekari (who filled in for both tackles as needed).

PFF’s offensive tackle rankings: Where does Rashawn Slater rank among top 10?

Rashawn Slater has established himself as a top tackle, where exactly does he rank?

It didn’t take long for Rashawn Slater to establish himself as one of the top offensive tackles in the NFL, earning All-Pro honors as a rookie.

Entering Year 4, where does he rank among the other players at his position? According to Pro Football Focus, Slater is the No. 9 overall tackle.

After missing almost the entire 2022 season, Slater came back strong in 2023 and played nearly as well as he did during his standout rookie season, especially when it came to pass protection. In fact, his 84.7 pass-blocking grade marked a career-high and ranked fifth among players at the position.

On the other hand, his 59.5 run-blocking grade ranked just 48th, which shows that the young player still has room for improvement.

After missing most of the 2022 season with a torn biceps, Slater returned and started all regular-season games in 2023. Upon returning to the field, he was prolific in the pass-blocking department, allowing just 38 pressures on 726 pass-block snaps.

Along with continuing to be a dominant force at protecting Justin Herbert’s blindside, it’s imperative that he returns to form as a run blocker, something he was sharp at in his first two seasons, especially as the offense will take a run-heavy approach.

Herbert, Nix listed among NFL’s 100 most important players for 2024

Justin Herbert, Bo Nix, and Penei Sewell all listed as most important players for the 2024 NFL season.

Over the past several years, the NFL has been sprinkled with some great talent provided by the Oregon Duck football program. Perhaps more than ever before.

Now here in 2024, there are more Ducks in the NFL than ever before and there are a few that CBS Sports says that are the most important players for the NFL season.

First among the list, and not surprisingly, is Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. CBS Sports says that while the Chiefs are going to be overwhelming favorites to win what they call a weak AFC West division, Herbert, with new coach Jim Harbaugh, has the best chance to challenge the defending Super Bowl champs.

While that’s not a shocking development, the most recent Oregon quarterback to enter the league, Bo Nix, is the listed as the No. 7 most important player in the NFL and he hasn’t even played a down for the Denver Broncos yet.

In Denver, the Broncos are firmly Sean Payton’s team after he got rid of his last quarterback and drafted Bo Nix 12th. Payton favors a precise, on-time attack, which Nix thrived in at Oregon, so the fit in theory works. But in theory and on field in are very different. — Zachary Pereles

Detroit Lions offensive lineman Penei Sewell was also mentioned as he received a big contract this offseason. They came within a game of being in the Super Bowl for the first time and the Lions should be in the running for the title game once again.

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Eagles have one player make a PFF ranking of top 25 players under 25 entering 2024

The Philadelphia Eagles had Jalen Carter make a list of PFF ranking of the top 25 players under 25

The Eagles have one of the NFL’s youngest rosters, but they still lack elite talent under the age of 25. That could change next spring after the team added Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.

PFF released their annual ranking of the top 25 players under 25 entering the 2024 NFL season, and the Birds had one player make the list.

22. DI JALEN CARTER, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Off-field issues likely led to Carter sliding in the 2023 NFL Draft as the ninth-overall pick, because on the field he was among the better players at his position from Week 1.

Carter picked up nine quarterback pressures in his very first game against the Patriots, which was tied for the second most in an outing by a rookie all season. In the end, he earned an 87.4 PFF overall grade, which ranked sixth among interior defenders.

Last season, Carter got off to a blistering hot start.

Through Week 9, Carter had generated 29 pressures (tied for eighth in the league among interior defensive linemen) according to Pro Football Focus, including four sacks and 20 hurries.

A Defensive Rookie of the Year finalist, Carter started just one game and played 51 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps, but the ninth overall pick in the 2023 Draft was third on the team in sacks and fifth among all rookies.

During the first half of last season, Carter was dominant while playing 49% of the defensive snaps (despite missing Week 6 against the New York Jets with an injury), second among Eagles defensive tackles behind only Fletcher Cox.

His production fell off down the stretch.

Carter finished his rookie year with 6.0 sacks, 33 tackles, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery (which he returned for a touchdown) in 16 regular-season games.

Eye-opening video shows major shift in Lions draft war room from 2019

Eye-opening video shows a major shift in Lions draft war room from 2019 and the new regime of Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell

Two years ago, there was a video posted by Tristin McKinstry on YouTube and it shows the Detroit Lions War Room for the 2019 NFL Draft compared to the Lions’ draft war room from the 2021 NFL Draft.

The differences aren’t just eye-opening; they’re night and day.

Looking back at the video from 2019, everything felt uncomfortable. The conversations between General Manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia felt odd or forced. Additionally, when they spoke to T.J. Hockenson before the selection, it was just awkward. Neither conversation with Hockenson felt genuine or personable. Lastly, the reaction from other people in the war room makes it feel like part of the room wasn’t on board with the Lions’ selection of the Iowa tight end.

Fast forward to 2021 and the energy from head coach Dan Campbell and General Manager Brad Holmes just feels different. They’re amped up about the selection of Penei Sewell and they just give off this genuine vibe that they really want this player in Detroit. Nothing feels divided or forced and most importantly, everyone seems aligned with the direction Campbell and Holmes are taking the team.

You can watch the video below and tell us if you can spot the differences between the war rooms.

Lions send the right message by rewarding Sewell, St. Brown with new contracts

Lions send the right message by rewarding Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown with new contracts, and St. Brown loves the message

In one fateful Wednesday afternoon, the Detroit Lions found themselves responsible for the highest-paid wide receiver and highest-paid offensive tackle in the NFL. The Lions handsomely rewarded Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell for their stellar play and continuing growth into elite talents.

It’s money well spent. Not only are Sewell and St. Brown part of the dynamic young core of top-end talent in Detroit, but the commitment to them shows the NFC North champs aren’t going anywhere but up. That’s a very appealing message to players, both those already in Detroit and those who might want to join the Lions.

St. Brown was asked what it says about the Lions that they were successful in paying out over $230 million to him and right tackle Penei Sewell in one afternoon.

“The Lions are good. They’re taking care of their guys, their strength,” St. Brown said at an event sponsored by USAA near the draft on Thursday afternoon. “You will be rewarded with good play. And not just good play, but being a leader and a great teammate and doing everything right, every day.”

St. Brown continued,

“Those are the guys we want in the locker room. I think they’ve done a great job of doing in the last three years. Drafting in guys that bring that same type of commitment and energy and leadership to the locker room. I feel like that shows on the field. We’ve gotten better every year. We’ve got to keep going.”

By rewarding their own and prioritizing in-house production and the team chemistry and cohesion, the Lions are sending the message to the rest of the NFL that 2023’s ride to the precipice of the Super Bowl was not a fluke.

New Lions OT Giovanni Manu draws inspiration from All-Pro Penei Sewell

New Lions OT Giovanni Manu draws inspiration from All-Pro Penei Sewell, a fellow Polynesian

Giovanni Manu has a very interesting path to becoming a fourth-round pick of the Detroit Lions. From a boy growing up in Tonga to playing high school basketball in western Canada, it’s a very unusual background for an NFL offensive lineman.

Manu is a proud Tongan, and his Polynesian heritage is fiercely important to him. That’s something he’s got in common with the man he’s now backing up in Detroit, All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell, who is of Samoan heritage.

Tonga and Samoa are near one another in the South Pacific. Manu noted that proximity when talking about how appreciative he is to land in Detroit with Sewell. Manu considers him a massive role model and influence on his life.

“Yeah, I look up to Penei a lot. I do study a lot of his film,” Manu tolkd reporters over draft weekend. “I think he’s the best tackle in the league right now. He moves so fluid for how big he is and not just that, but he’s an inspiration to the Polynesian community.”

Manu specifically cited Sewell’s draft process and how open he was about encouraging kids just like him.

“I remember when I was in college, I watched his Draft Day process, and it was just basically a vlog of his whole day of being drafted. I remember he ended the vlog by saying, ‘Any Polynesian kids out there,’ and he named all the islands and I remember he said Tonga. He said, ‘If you kids out there want to make it to the NFL, you can truly make it if you put your mind to it.’

And I remember I was in my second year of college when he said that, and I remember him saying that. It really motivated me, and I told myself, ‘If one of my fellow Polynesian brothers can make it, which is him – and he’s giving me words of motivation, there’s no reason why I can’t do it either.’ So, he’s a true inspiration, not only to Samoa, but to the whole Polynesian community. And it’s great that I’ll be playing with a guy like that, and I just hope to soak up as much information and technique from him.”

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Every Oregon Ducks player selected in the first round of the NFL draft

A total of 23 Oregon players have been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft over the years. Here’s a look at the exclusive Duck club.

It’s become a yearly tradition over the past several years, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon.

On Thursday night, the streak of Oregon Ducks being selected in the first round of the NFL draft continued when the Denver Broncos selecting quarterback Bo Nix with the No. 12 pick. This is the fifth year in a row that Oregon has had a Duck drafted in the first round.

Nix is the 23rd Oregon Duck in school history to be drafted in the first round.

A year ago, it was cornerback Christian Gonzalez who became the 22nd player in Oregon Ducks’ history to be selected in the first round of the draft. He was also the fourth consecutive player to go in the first round for the Ducks, dating to 2020 when Justin Herbert went to the Los Angeles Chargers. Penei Sewell went to the Detroit Lions in 2021, and Kayvon Thibodeaux was drafted by the New York Giants in 2022.

Over the decades, there are almost two dozen men of Oregon who have heard their names called in the opening round of the draft. Here’s a look at the Duck legends.

How Penei Sewell’s new contract impacts Bucs, Tristan Wirfs

Penei Sewell’s new contract sets a new bar for offensive tackles, but the Bucs and Tristan Wirfs will soon reset the mark yet again

The Detroit Lions just set a new bar for offensive tackle contracts, signing Penei Sewell to a new four-year deal that will pay him around $28 million per season, including $85 million in guaranteed money.

This news is sure to grab the attention of Bucs offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, who is also expected to get a new long-term contract extension of his own at some point this year.

Sewell’s deal will likely provide a framework for the one Wirfs will get from the Bucs, and since his deal will be the next one, it’s likely his reps will want to reset that bar with higher numbers.

This won’t come as a surprise to Bucs general manager Jason Licht, who will obviously hand Wirfs the equivalent of a blank check to keep the All-Pro left tackle in Tampa Bay for the foreseeable future. Wirfs is off to a Hall of Fame start over his first four seasons in the league, and shouldn’t ever wear another jersey.

It won’t be shocking if Wirfs’ new deal comes in closer to $30 million per season, with guaranteed money that exceeds what Sewell just got from the Lions.

And he’ll be worth every penny.

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