The Detroit Lions took the most talented player available to them in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday night. In doing so, the team doubled down on its one surefire area of strength. Then celebrated wildly in the draft room.
For now, know that the new regime in Allen Park didn’t gamble, didn’t overthink, didn’t do anything other than select a player that has the kind of upside that could lead to Canton, Ohio.
Not that general manager Brad Holmes and head coach, Dan Campbell, are worried about future Hall of Fame ceremonies. They just want to add guys that mash, that howl when they end news conferences — more on that in a bit — that will bring accelerant every day they walk into team headquarters.
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Penei Sewell will almost certainly do that.
“A core piece,” Holmes called him.
So what if they already had a couple of terrific offensive lineman on their roster? And so what if the Lions have other areas of need?
Good offensive line play can hide flaws more than any other grouping on the field.
“To be able to feed the beast and add to that to make it a more powerful unit?” said Holmes. “That’s what it came down to.”
Take last season, when the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts made the playoffs with quarterbacks who struggled to throw an out route and pass longer than 30 yards, with quarterbacks who are no longer in the NFL.
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Offensive line play helped past-their-prime Drew Brees and Philip Rivers make one final run to the postseason. Holmes and Campbell are betting it can do similar things for before-his-prime Jared Goff.
Besides, if not Sewell, then who?
DeVonta Smith? He may be great, but receivers are like running backs these days, available well beyond the first round.
Jaycee Horn? Patrick Surtain II? Yes, the Lions need defensive playmakers, but they grabbed a cornerback in the first round a year ago, and it’s way too soon to give up on Jeff Okudah. Besides, neither Horn nor Surtain II grades out like Sewell.
Justin Fields? The Lions might regret this, along with 10 other teams that passed on him, too. Fields could be the best quarterback in the draft. It wouldn’t be the first time the league misjudged this position. That he landed with the Bears should send you shivers.
And yet, for now, at least, the Lions think they have their quarterback. Goff will get a couple of seasons to prove them right.
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If he’s not? Then Sewell, who is all of 20, will be there to help anchor a line for the next great hope.
The best way to think about Sewell is to forget the position. This was a talent grab, pure and simple. A personality grab, too, if you caught a glimpse of Sewell’s enthusiasm and smile and hollering toward the end of his video news conference with reporters.
This is the kind of presence Holmes and Campbell want in their locker room, and the kind of physical demon they want on the field. Sewell doesn’t just project as a potential Pro Bowler, he projects as a possible all-timer.
NFL analysts threw around names like Orlando Pace on Thursday night. You don’t pass on that kind of possibility, no matter the position.
Sure, if they’d had a chance at tight end Kyle Pitts — himself an outlandish talent — then it’s hard to imagine the Lions not taking him. Same for Ja’Marr Chase, the LSU receiver Holmes reportedly wanted when he tried to trade with Atlanta to move up to the fourth pick. (Chase went to the Bengals at No. 5.)
Which should tell you that Holmes is aware that his offense needs more playmakers. But both Pitts and Chase could end up being the best at their position in a few years. Plenty think the same of Sewell.
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If nothing else, know that Holmes and Campbell and their staff got the guy they wanted … at that pick. That context is critical. They may have liked other prospects more but couldn’t find a way to get to them.
“Get the best football player,” Holmes said.
That’s it. That’s the philosophy. One he insists isn’t general manager-speak.
He didn’t enter the draft thinking “we’ve got to get this position, or that position.” He just wants his guy.
Which is why when he got him Thursday night, you saw him lifting and bear-hugging team president Rod Wood. And you saw the rest of the room erupt and high five.
That was real. That’s how good they think Sewell can be, and how much he can help the rebuild. As Holmes said, feed the beast.
Because once you do, the margin for error expands. Think about what offensive line play did for the the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.
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Now, before you point to the Bucs’ defense and their offensive playmakers and, um, Tom Brady, remember that it was the offensive line that changed the course of their season. A rookie lineman, Tristan Wirfs, whom Tampa drafted in the first round, helped lead the charge.
Improved effort up front gave Brady more time and gave the backs more room and gave that coaching staff more flexibility in its play calls, which allowed for more ball control, which helped the defense stay fresh.
Many of the best offensive lines aren’t built with first-round picks. And it’s true that the Lions had a solid offensive line and not-so-solid areas in several other places.
Yet drafting based on need is usually best left for the later rounds. Though even then, Holmes let us know it would still be about talent.
How’s that for a debut?
Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @shawnwindsor.