How Detroit Lions' Penei Sewell was in a class all his own in 2023

How Detroit Lions' Penei Sewell was in a class all his own in 2023

After an impressive sophomore campaign in 2022, Detroit Lions right tackle Penei Sewell took yet another leap forward in 2023, when he earned his second Pro Bowl nod and first First-Team All-Pro selection.

Sewell improved everywhere. He surrendered career-lows in sacks and pressures allowed, and his PFF run-blocking (93.1) and pass-blocking (78.1) grades were the best of his career, and he was the highest-graded tackle in the entire league (92.8).

The Oregon product also did something no other offensive tackle in the NFL did. Per The 33rd Team, Sewell was the only one to give up less than 20 pressures while also having over 500 pass-blocking snaps.

The former Lions first-round pick was so good that we argued he should have been even higher than No. 3 in PFF's offensive tackle rankings that were put out last month. At the very least, he should have been No. 2.

Sewell has been everything the Lions could've hoped for and then some after they took him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He was recently rewarded with a four-year, $112 million extension for his efforts.

The scary thing is (for the rest of the league, not the Lions), he's still only 23 years old and may not have hit his peak yet. He's going to be a true staple in Detroit for several years to come.