Tag: Taylor Decker

Lions right tackle Penei Sewell continues to impress Dan Campbell

Third-year starter says he wants it all

ALLEN PARK — Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell has left zero doubt about how he feels about right tackle Penei Sewell.

“Look, I can’t say enough great things about Sewell I mean he’s – there’s a reason why he was the first pick we had two years ago because we wanted to build around a guy like him. He’s our foundation,’’ Campbell said on Friday. 

OK, those are big words. But he wasn’t done.

“He’s one of those pillars that we talk about. But I mean he is something else. He’s a man on a mission. I feel like we’re a team on a mission, but he is a man on a mission and you talk about being wired right, a guy that comes in every day, puts in the work and he’s got so much ability, but he’s got the right attitude too and I think that’s what makes him dangerous if you’re the opponent, so he’s right where he needs to be,’’ Campbell said. 

 On the first day in pads Friday, Sewell continued his stellar play. 

When told about Campbell’s complimentary words, he said: “I set high goals for me, I have high expectations for myself. He knows that, the team knows that and I just try to work at that each and every day,’’ Sewell said. “Everyone knows the everyday battles of coming out here putting the pads on, putting the helmet on, but you’ve got to put that behind you because there’s a bigger purpose than myself which is the team.’’

It’s sometimes said in the NFL the biggest “ability” is availability. Sewell is good there too. He hasn’t missed a start in his first two seasons with the Lions playing 16 games in 2021 and 17 games in 2022. Last season he even caught a touchdown pass.

Sewell was one of four Lions on offense to be named to the Pro Bowl last season and is considered one of the top right tackles in the NFL.

He’s been on an upward trajectory since he was drafted in the first round (seventh overall) in 2021 out of Oregon.

“The moment I got that call to come into this building. I knew that I got to bring myself into this building knowing I’m something different. And believe that God blessed me with different gifts than anybody else,’’ Sewell said.

It wasn’t easy at first, like any rookie he had to make the adjustment to the NFL.

“There were definitely training wheels without a doubt. … For the most part when it comes to the team aspect I feel like I fit in with the group of guys here. There was some training wheels with techniquewise and everyday consistency,’’ Sewell said.

At training camp this year expectations are high for the Lions who finished last season 9-8 and out of the playoffs.

“I want it all man, nothing less. I don’t want to give you guys specifics, that’s between me and the man in the mirror,’’ Sewell said. “I want it all. Individual teamwise, familywise — I want it all.’’

And that’s just one more reason Campbell loves having Sewell on the roster.

“If he loses, it bothers him bad, and that’s what you want. You want a guy who believes that there’s no way he should lose any rep, no matter who he’s playing and – so he’s shown up, he’s in shape, he’s lean, he’s mean and I’m glad he’s ours,’’ Campbell said.

Lions draft OL Colby Sorsdal in fifth round

ALLEN PARK — With the 152nd overall pick, the Lions drafted Colby Sorsdal who was a five-year starter at William & Mary. It was the Lions’ first of two selections on Saturday, the final day of the draft.

Sorsdal, who is 6-foot-6 and 301 pounds, was a team captain with 46 starts at right tackle. He became a starter as a true freshman for the Tribe.

“I can’t really explain the feelings right now, I think I have hives a little bit for how excited I am,’’Sorsdal said during a Zoom interview from his family home in Dallas.

Look for him to possibly move to the interior line due to his lack of length (short arms). He said he just wants to make an impact wherever he is on the field.

He joins one of the best offensive lines in the NFL with guys like Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow, Penei Sewell and Jonah Jackson.

“I think one of my strengths is that I learn and I love to learn. Coming into a room and learning from all of those guys, it’s a dream come true,’’ Sorsdal said. “I’m just excited to get to work.’’

He first talked to the Lions at the Shrine game and a local scout was at his pro day. He said he’s also talked to Hank Fraley, the Lions offensive line coach.

Sorsdal wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine, but has size, experience, moves very well and most of all he has toughness, according to Brian Baldinger of the NFL Network.

He was a  third-team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection for his play in 10 starts in 2021. Then he was a first-team FCS All-American and All-CAA notice as a 13-game starter in his final season.

Lions back at work with renewed urgency after building foundation last season

ALLEN PARK — The Lions returned this week to the team facility for offseason workouts meeting new teammates, introducing themselves to new staff and getting down to business.

Coming off a 9-8 season definitely carries a vibe better than a year ago when they had won just three games the previous season.

While conventional wisdom from NFL prognosticators seems to be that the Lions could be the team to beat in the NFC North, that thought does not carry over into the locker room. 

Quarterback Jared Goff has heard the talk, but plainly said there are no favorites in April.

The Lions finished with an 8-2 record in their last 10 games and became media darlings of sorts, but they did not make the playoffs.

“I think the standards and expectations will continue to rise. I think the urgency in the building will continue to rise, I think it has already. All the way from the top down we realize that we’re ready to go…’’ Goff said on Tuesday.

This is Goff’s third preseason with the Lions and he said the offseason moves have been noticeably more aggressive.

“You can see the aggressiveness in them and it trickles into us. We see everything, a couple weeks the draft will come and there’ll be more of that there,’’ Goff said. “The aggressiveness of taking our shot and knowing that we have a team that can compete with anybody and we’re going to try to make some noise this year.’’

Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has been with the Lions two seasons and he thinks the experience of those years will help himself and his teammates transform this year.

“I think, us as a team, we have a lot of young guys that we’ve had since we were here that are hungry, who saw what we did two years ago only winning three games my rookie year to last year to what we can do this year,’’ St. Brown said. “I think being a part of that journey is going to help us throughout the year.’’

Left tackle Taylor Decker, entering his eighth season with the Lions, is singing the same song. He’s excited to be back, sees the changes that have been made but can’t take anything for granted. He does not think the team will have to guard against thinking they are too good.

“I think everybody’s past experiences will take care of that. Players know that have been here, staff that has been here, the fans now,’’ Decker said. “There’ve been some tough years, some really tough years. I have the best job in the world, it’s amazing but you want to win.’’

Decker has made just one trip to the playoffs in his tenure in Detroit and that was his rookie season. He’s excited about this coming season but is mindful of what can be reality in the NFL.

“It’s nice to come into the building with expectations. Like it’s an enjoyable thing to look forward to next year knowing that we laid a foundation the prior year and that’s something we did together as a group,’’ Decker said. “There’s excitement for what the future could hold, but ultimately – it’s a dead horse statement, like beating a dead horse. You have to come in and on your first day of OTAs you have to do your testing, your stretching, your soft tissue, your lifting, your running. That’s what’s important today. That’s the thing about this league: Are you going to come to work every single day? Because if you don’t come to work now, if you didn’t start working out till just now then you aren’t going to have the results. There’s definitely excitement and that’s a great thing, we’ve laid the foundation. But let’s do the work now.’’

(Coming up: The Lions have two picks in the first round of the NFL draft which begins on Thursday, April 27.)