You don’t see many prospects like Oregon tackle Penei Sewell. While he opted out of the 2020 season, he was a totally dominant player as a 19-year-old. Sewell is an extremely thickly-built prospect, weighing in at his pro day at 331 pounds at just under 6’5”. What is Sewell’s 2021 NFL Draft projection, and what landing spots are the most ideal for the Ducks prospect?
Penei Sewell’s 2021 NFL Draft Projection
Sewell hasn’t played in a year, and his performance at the Oregon Pro Day was very good but not outstanding. For that reason, there seems to be a little less buzz about this great player now than early in the draft process. In fact, some even have Rashawn Slater ahead of him on their boards. With all respect to those evaluators, Sewell is too special to fall very far on draft day and, more often than not, would be the first offensive lineman off the board in any draft class.
Sewell’s arm length isn’t exceptional, but even if pass rushers get into his body, he is extremely difficult to move with his outstanding anchor and overall power. He does have some technique work to do, but any offensive line coach on the planet would love to work with this young man.
Few offensive linemen move like Sewell. When he gets into the open field and is coming downhill at his target, it is truly amazing. He also plays smartly with outstanding recognition skills. Sewell has remarkable balance, plays with a great wide base, and makes playing offensive tackle look easy much of the time. He is a premier prospect.
Potential landing spots for Sewell
Who should target Sewell early in the first round and where are his best fits?
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons currently own the fourth overall pick, but that could change at any time with many teams in the market to get up to this spot for a quarterback. It is a long shot, but if Atlanta does stick at No. 4, they could grab Sewell with the thought of winning now with Matt Ryan and really upgrading their offensive line. Maybe they even trade down a few spots and pick up Sewell.
Cincinnati Bengals
This seems like Sewell’s most likely landing spot, and he has been linked to the Bengals going back to the 2020 regular season. Everyone knows that Cincinnati’s offensive line needs help and they must take some pass-rush pressure off Joe Burrow, but the Bengals aren’t in bad shape right now at offensive tackle and could find guard help on Day 2 of the draft. That might persuade the Bengals to bypass Sewell for Ja’Marr Chase or Kyle Pitts. But there is still a great chance he heads to Cincinnati with the fifth overall selection.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins moved from No. 3 to No. 6 by way of the 12th spot in two different pre-draft trades. Getting to No. 6 was an obvious goal for Miami, as they knew three quarterbacks would fall to start the draft and that will leave them Sewell, Chase, or Pitts. Any of those three would be a great addition around Tua Tagovailoa, but it seems to be overlooked that Miami’s offensive line might have been the worst in football last year and they have yet to do much to address their front five this offseason.
PFN’s Chief Draft Analyst Tony Pauline recently reported that the Dolphins are considering Sewell with the sixth overall pick. “After speaking with people, what I can tell you about the Miami Dolphins at six is this — the team is seemingly moving away from DeVonta Smith and towards either Penei Sewell or Smith’s Alabama teammate, Jaylen Waddle.”
Detroit Lions
To be frank, the Lions need everything. Offensive line help isn’t atop that long list, but don’t be surprised if the new decision-makers in Detroit put a premium on big people and toughness as they start this rebuild. Having a tremendous player like Sewell on a cost-controlled contract is a great way to put building blocks in place for the Lions. Also, don’t forget that new quarterback Jared Goff is clearly much more effective when protected than when having to deal with pressure.
Carolina Panthers
This is the farthest Sewell could fall, and you have to think that the Panthers would do cartwheels to add such a great prospect at a premium position this late in the draft. Is it possible that Carolina drafts a quarterback here to compete with Sam Darnold and really attack that need? Sure, that could happen, but adding protection for Darnold is probably the more likely scenario, and getting Sewell with the eighth pick would be a gift that is just too good to refuse.
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