Detroit Lions OL Penei Sewell has a lofty goal: To be ‘better than anybody’s ever seen’

Penei Sewell has big goals for himself as a football player. And 23 games into his NFL career, no one is laughing at his lofty aspirations.

“The reason why I play this game is to be the best,” Sewell told the Free Press this week. “Better than anybody’s ever seen. So I got to keep working a day at a time and stay consistent.”

The No. 7 pick of last year’s NFL draft, Sewell already has established himself in the upper echelon of offensive tackles playing today.

He’s given up one sack in 193 pass attempts this season, on the Lions’ ill-conceived fourth-and-9 play in their Week 5 loss to the New England Patriots, and has spearheaded the league’s seventh-best rushing attack.

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Six weeks into the season, he ranks as the 11th-best tackle in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. Before facing the Patriots, he was the top right tackle on the list.

“I know he has his own goals and aspirations as an individual and he can — his ceiling’s pretty high,” Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley said. “He’s just still tapping into it. He’s a young player and there’s guys that, you got to challenge players like that, too. ‘How good do you want to be? Is it good or great?’ And I think he wants to be one of those great ones, but he’s far from there but he can be a great one.”

The Lions, 1-4 and in last place in the NFC North, visit the Dallas Cowboys today in a matchup that looks lopsided on paper.

The Lions have lost three straight, own the worst defense in football and were shutout in their last game before the bye. The Cowboys, 4-2, lead the NFL in sacks, have a dependable running game and are getting their franchise quarterback back from a five-game absence because of a thumb injury.

But Dallas’ strength — a ferocious pass rush — matches up with the Lions’ best — their offensive line — and for Sewell it is an opportunity to cement his spot as one of the top linemen in the game.

At times Sunday, Sewell will go head-to-head against rising star Cowboys star Micah Parsons. Parsons had 13 sacks as a rookie, has six already this year and is the favorite for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

“I’m looking forward to that matchup,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said Friday. “We know how gifted Parsons is over there, but Sewell’s having a good season right now, and he’s had two really good days of practice. He’s been locked in and ready to go.”

The Lions had their choice of Sewell or Parsons in last year’s draft, and had needs at both positions, but opted for Sewell as a way to fortify their offensive line.

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A left tackle during his two college seasons at Oregon, Sewell, who opted out of the COVID-19 season of 2020, spent last summer practicing at right tackle but moved to left tackle days before the Lions’ opener when Taylor Decker suffered a finger injury in practice.

Sewell endured some growing pains early last season while playing left tackle, then switched back to the right side midway through the year and was dominant down the stretch. He allowed one sack in eight games at right tackle and has been “steady at a high level” while playing every offensive snap this year, Campbell said.

“That’s the thing,” Campbell said. “You can say steady, but he’s been playing at a very high level and been steady doing that. So I appreciate Sewell, just the way he works. It’s like — you talk about his talent, but it’s the ones that separate the good ones from the great ones are guys that work. They work, and Sewell works. He works at it. He works his craft. He’ll stay after practice. He does those things, and so anytime you’re a guy like that, the sky’s the limit.”

Sewell is blessed with freakish athleticism for his size, 6 feet 5 and 335 pounds, but he said his emergence this season has been as much about confidence as anything. He gained a new level of that last season by playing dominant football, in spurts, against some of the league’s best pass rushers.

He’s used that experience as a springboard to expand his game this fall.

Sewell said he regularly mixes up his pass sets to befuddle opponents, switching from standard 45-degree sets to vertical sets and jump sets with ease. And Campbell said he has a maniacal work ethic when it comes to improving his game.

“I see a player who is continuing to improve and is working to improve, and that’s encouraging, being that he’s only in Year 2 and he’s very young,” Campbell said. “He’s got a young body. That’s what I mean by that, and that’s great. So I love where he’s going, I love where he’s trending.”

If that trend continues the path it’s on, Sewell could one day enter the conversation for best lineman in football.

He said he considers San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams the game’s best tackle now, and Williams and retired Cleveland Browns tackle Joe Thomas the best linemen of all time.

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He’s dreamed of having that distinction himself since his family moved from American Samoa to Utah in 2012 and he won’t be content until he gets it.

“In my eyes, I’m trying to get there as quick as possible,” Sewell said. “I don’t really have a timeframe or whatever that looks like, but every day, every time I step into this facility I’m working for a purpose.”

That purpose, he said, is to be the best “of all time.”

“Simple as that,” he said. “That’s what I’ve wanted since I can remember anything.”

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.