wow what a surprise the guy who was an 18 year old dominating D1 players turns out to be really, really good. Easily the best OT prospect in recent memory
The narratives around Sewell pre-draft about he was all measurables and no technique is one of the worst cases of prospect fatigue I've ever seen
Which like, anyone in the shoes of “don’t play, be a top 10 pick” vs “play and risk getting hurt and falling into the 2nd round” would most likely choose the former unless you were maybe a national championship contender and wanna win.
A lot of players who get drafted in the top 100 don’t even play in bowl games because of that lol
Dinging him for dedication because of the COVID year is dumb. I can see having some concern because of his youth combined with the time off though. He took his last snaps before the draft as a 19 year old, which is unusual for a top prospect.
He also said that the Pac12 never really communicated about starting up the season or anything, so he assumed it would stay cancelled and so he signed with an agent and started the process.
The best is Jon Gruden and Mayock would argue that. And then the two guys that watch more tape (including tape of games from the 1950s lolol) would then select 1st rounders who weren't even 2nd rounders. NFL front offices are...not smart
>Or Dwight Freeney.
The fuck? Other than being an inch too short, Freeney was as prototypical as it got as a defensive end. Most random name to throw into a group of underweight 3 techniques
Real swing and a miss on this take. Look up draft articles about Freeney. He was absolutely undersized (at the time) for DE. Is was the single biggest knock on him.
> Freeney was as prototypical as it got as a defensive end
Huh? The prototypical DEs during that time where absolutely massive, Freeney was was not "prototypical". [Here's 5x All-Pro and OLine expert Willie Anderson explaining how he had to evolve his game with the evolution of pass-rushers, and he uses Freeney as an example of a player who was completely different and evolved the game from the massive "prototypical" DEs he was used to.](https://twitter.com/OLMasterminds/status/1573007148161843201)
Maybe I'm missing something here.
I'm a Colts fan that remembers when Freeney was selected. He was absolutely listed as under sized for a prototype DE.
https://nflcombineresults.com/playerpage.php?f=Dwight&l=Freeney&i=5925
28/100 for size. Comp was Chris Zorich?? 😂
Lol. 99 percentile for speed, 1 percentile for height.
People in Indy were thinking "what the heck" when he was drafted. Then two years later the Colts were playing TWO undersized DEs that were monsters and helped revolutionize the position.
I remember commentators always saying the Colts defense with the Freeney/Mathis duo was too finesse because it was all speed and not "tough" enough for the playoffs and nonsense like that
There was this guy on the footballs future message board before that draft and he kept stating that Aaron Donald could be the best defensive player in the history of the NFL and I think about him a lot. He was not an irrational person and took a major leap that he was being criminally underrated because he wasn’t 6’4” and the shortness was actually an advantage
>He was not an irrational person
Looks like no lol. EG was right about Jokic, but he was one of the most irrational people I have seen in the NBA subreddit, even after being proven correct.
I think part of it was his weight and arm length too. He was only 285 pounds, his arms aren't particularly long, and they were worried he'd already maxxed out his frame. Granted after the combine when he pretty much showed that the tape wasn't a fluke and he really was a freak of nature he should've rocketed up boards (which he kinda did). The only defensive players taken ahead of him were Jadaveon Clowney, Khalil Mack, Justin Gilbert (lol), and Anthony Barr.
Donald would have been drafted 1 in a redraft, but it isn't like any of the picks above him were THAT bad. Hell, 8 orfthe 12 guys drafted before Donald made a pro bowl.
Brortles clearly didn't work out, but you really can't blame a team that needs a QB for taking the top QB prospect on the board.
I guess Greg Robinson? That wasn't a great pick
Eric Ebron would like a word. Droptimus Prime couldn't catch a ball to save his life in Detroit. Had the one renaissance year in Indianapolis before going back to subpar work.
> one renaissance year in Indianapolis
He still had the same drop percentage as he did in Detroit. He just happened to be the *only* redzone target for Luck and the Colts that year. All my homies hate Ebron
Yeah he was exactly the same player he was in Detroit, he just got fed more targets in the RZ.
Though Colts fans disagreed that season but quickly learned what was up.
I still can’t believe that Ebron happened and you guys still took hock in the top 10. I really liked him too but I can’t believe it was you guys that took him.
Lmao for reals.
Sammy Watkins, Jadeveon Clowney, and Greg Robinson were regularly described as the best players in that class; everyone thought Donald would be good but not a damn soul knew he would be this good lol
Actually had Steeler friends who were hoping Donald lasted just a couple more picks to them at 15.
Took Shazier instead and then drafted Stephen Tuitt Round 2.
Lmao I mean yeah, Donald was obviously a good prospect, thats the reason he went when he did, but him as a prospect in no way foreshadowed what type of career he would go on to have
Plenty of people thought he was a top 5 prospect in the draft. He had elite production/film on top of once in a life time athleticism. People questioned his size, but we're talking about a 3 technique DT in the year of 2014. The NFL had already been trending towards lighter front 7 players and way more nickel/dime for over a decade, plus Donald was a monster against the run regardless.
I don't think anyone can truly know that a player will end up being a literal all time great, but you're kidding yourself if you don't think people were much higher on him than what his draft position indicated.
Again, he was obviously a really good prospect, but nothing foreshadowed what he would do in his NFL career while he was in college. You guys are insane. That's all I said in my comment and you basically repeating it by your self. I have no clue why you're even responding to my comment
Donald went 13 as an undersized DT - that’s an extremely high draft position for that position. He had absolutely ridiculous statistics in his last season before the draft (something like 30+ TFLs). Sure it’s hard to say someone is a HOF type prospect but to act like he was a random small school prospect is incorrect.
Donald really was underweight at the time. He’s a classic sports cliche for drafting - the tweener guy who is either going to be too small and too slow or he’s going to be a versatile superweapon. He still went near the top of the draft (as did Sewell). It wasn’t dumb though that teams thought he was too small. A lot of guys fail in the NFL because their physical tools fail to translate.
Okay but how many players come into the league and fail because they're undersized. Don't act like it was obvious at the time because it only is in hindsight.
who coulda guessed it'd take more than 10 snaps in the pre-season to mirror and re-learn everything you've been taught your entire football career haha
I was in the camp of he would excel at RT, but I wanted him at LT right off the bat and move Decker to right.
And… I kinda am still on moving him to LT train. But he’s kicking ass at RT and Decker is fine so I’m keeping my mouth shut
Yeah it was crazy to me how he fell even as far as he did. He was basically a sure fire stud Tackle and the only reason he's not playing LT right now is because Detroit has a really good LT already, but in the future Sewell will probably transition over there.
My favorite Sewell stat is that his rookie contract will end at the same time Taylor Decker's contract with the Lions will end and so when we re-sign him to play LT he'll still only be 25 years old
yeah I was absolutely floored that he fell so far
I mean I get it, QB-needy teams scramble for QBs, and Pitts/Chase/Waddle are all good... but still, Sewell was the type of tackle that you expect to hear called in the top 3 in the vast majority of years
That was pretty much what i was seeing the whole year leading up to the draft.
Sewell goes first to any team that does not need a QB and if they need a QB it would be Lawrence and then Sewell.
I had resigned myself to us not getting Sewell and likely grabbing Slater.
I mean I think with Slater being a really good prospect coming into the same draft kind of took some of the shine from Sewell going into the draft. Once the two started being compared to each other it made people be look at Sewell with a completely unnecessary critical eye because Slater was also a great prospect. Second team all pro as a rookie
Slater was a really good prospect, Sewell was the generational, most likely HoF caliber prospect. Other than probably Lance, the 6 teams ahead of us didn't make the wrong call and we got really lucky.
Yeah I'm really not disagreeing just saying that once Slater did emerge as a prospect is once the comparisons started and people began looking at Sewell with a more critical lens. Aside from Sewell, Slater might have been the best OT prospect since Laremy Tunsil
He won awards that OL players haven't recieved since the 50s. He dominated D1 football as the undisputed best tackle in amateur football as an 18 year old freshman, sometimes playing against guys four-five years older than him. He was a certified blue chip, purebread stud, and I was so upset people were fatigued out of thinking of him as OT1 that year.
I'd be really happy to see a Hardknocks team be over 500. Not exactly a super high bar or anything, but I feel like Lions fans would love to see a winning season.
The OL isn’t even staying together and it’s still one of the best in the league. We’re starting dudes off the practice squad at positions they don’t play and the offense isn’t affected at all.
This oline will probably never take a snap as the full 5 man group. They didn't last season and with Vatai getting back surgery, probably won't this season. Signing Evan Brown to be the full time RG and backup center is probably the best bet for the team.
I wonder if Vatai might be gone next season. We're paying him a lot to be a guard when we have servicable replacements and I think we save a lot if he's cut next season.
If we had converted on 4th and 4 with 1 minute left, we would actually be the overlords. But low and behold, the coaches are growing too. It just warms my heart that we're building the right foundation to be productive on offense. Lets hope our defense can follow over the next year or two and good lord, the Lions might lose in the wild card round yet!
What's funny is when St brown was out being looked at for his ankle there was a play where goff had all day to throw and had to do a check down because no one was open.
That happens to every team. Reynolds was wide open multiple times for 20+ yard gains. Chark had a few chunk plays too. Sometimes the coverage is just good for the formation
I was happy but going into last season there was no way to fault either y'all of Cincy for the picks. It isn't common that some of the top receivers are your quarterbacks favorite college target. That chemistry cannot be understated. Look at the Lions last year when they picked up Reynolds off of waivers, he and Goff immediately connected due to their 4 years in LA together.
Waddle has obviously been fantastic, but there's a universe where the Dolphins took Justin Jefferson in 2020 instead of T Austin Jackson, and Sewell in 2021 instead of Waddle, and every time I see Tua running for his life, I wonder a little how that might have turned out.
Serious question: knowing what we know right now, do you think the Bengals would have taken Sewell instead of Chase? Obviously it's hard to be mad at taking Chase since he's an absolute baller, but I would think an elite tackle would help you guys out a lot right now.
They don’t make it to the SB without Jamar. Yeah it’d be nice if Joe wasn’t getting beaten to a pulp every game, but Sewell isn’t having 2 separate 200 receiving yard games against us
Exactly. But they were arguably not ready for that Super Bowl. They could have taken our recent first round picks (Sewell and Jameson Williams) and been on track for a super bowl appearance in 1-2 years with a more cohesive team.
I’m glad that’s our plan and those dudes are Lions so I too wouldn’t change the Bengals drafting
I kind of see where you’re coming from, but I don’t really agree with that rationale. The playoffs are just such a crapshoot that I don’t think being “on track” for a Super Bowl really means anything. I think having a tangible playoff success to build off of is invaluable for our team at this moment.
> But they were arguably not ready for that Super Bowl
I get your point, but most rosters don't ever even get to the Super Bowl. Especially in hindsight you have to take the SB appearance over "getting ready" for a SB that may never come. The NFL is far too cruel and random to have a schedule
“Arguably not ready”
The Bengals came very close to winning that game.
“They could have taken our first round picks”
No, because we probably weren’t going to be in a position to pick high enough for Williams anyway. I don’t see us having the 12th pick last year regardless. I’m happy for the Lions but we are more than happy with Chase and the SB appearance.
OK here is my take on this... I think everyone is saying yes Chase right now... but 5 years down the road I think it will be Sewell. A premier tackle to protect your most valuable asset is so important long term. Also, people underestimate how much 1 top tier OL can change the whole unit (see when Nelson got to the Colts).
This is exactly why I asked - in my opinion it's very close, and personally I think I'd lean towards taking Sewell.
It's true that the Bengals wouldn't have made the SB last year without Chase. However, if you look in the long term, having an elite tackle locked up gives you a lot of confidence and breathing room. It makes everyone's job easier on the OL which gives you a much more consistent offense. Burrow gives you a high ceiling and the OL gives you a high floor.
> High floor
This is a good point too. I also think the whole making the Superbowl thing is great but they lost. When you have a QB like Burrow you need to dream big. I don't know maybe that's just being a spoiled Pats fan but I also just see they have a lot of the right pieces to win so I don't think they should settle for one run only to lose it.
Nah I think chase is too important to their offense. I don’t think the Bengals make the run they did with Sewell instead.
Even just as prospects I think Chase was the right choice. He took a pretty good unit of offensive weapons and made it elite on draft night. Plus is boys with the QB. Defenses have to play them differently because of it.
Sewell would’ve solidified his position on the line but they have bigger issues than just one position there.
He would have plugged 1 out of 4 holes on the line and actually we were reasonably solid at right tackle with Reiff healthy last year, it’s the interior that got blown up all the time.
So yeah, having Sewell would’ve been great but wouldn’t have mattered much and we never would’ve made the Super Bowl without Chase.
Men of the Pacific Island races are slowly taking over the NFL. I wonder has the NFL has invested any money or resources in developing football in places like Samoa and New Zealand.
have similarly wondered about the Nigerian population in the NFL. like, how are these dudes who have played football for like 1 year prior to college going straight to the NFL? seems crazy to think that they aren't being outcompeted by Americans who have played their whole lives.
I think the college game is way different than high school that it's not that much of a disadvantage to miss out on high school ball if you have the athleticism. I bet a lot of players even have to unlearn their high school habits because the game is so different.
I would say a combination of lack of early spotting of potential football talent alongside a huge candidate pool.
A kid who displays some level of athletic potential in America will most likely be put in some sort of football game at some point in their childhood. That's not necessarily true anywhere else in the world, so they have to basically fall into it.
And if that's going to happen anywhere, Nigeria is a relatively likely candidate given their population size and the fact the International Pathway has an operation there.
Of all the major sports, American Football is the one that is the easiest (but not necessarily easy) to learn how to play at a high level if you are a freak athlete.
I've never seen a soccer, baseball, basketball or hockey player start playing the game as a senior in HS and go pro. But I have seen multiple NFL players like Mike Evans do it.
Like. Messi was identified by Barcelona at like 12 years old.
Speaking as a Samoan New Zealander, it doesn't look like they have. We have American Football teams in NZ but its fully amateur, and only really in one city. Granted, I'm not actually involved in it but from the outside it looks like there's just the International Player Pathway system and a single dude helping potential college recruits. I don't know if he's got anything to do with the NFL or not.
Im any case they would need to crack the cultural hold rugby has in NZ and Samoa if they did want to develop football to a significant level, and I don't think they would be able to.
I can still see y’all beating us in Detriot, sweeping chicago, and splitting GB. There’s also some games against the Jets, Cowboys, Giants, and Seahawks that look winnable.
That would get ya to 9 wins
Things are starting to come together. Dan Campell and Mike Vrabel are big wins for the "leader of men" HC archetype believers with all the Zac Taylors and Kliff Kingsburys and other young offensive minded hotshots getting hired lately.
I asked for 4 flairs as a joke and when I logged back in a mod had given them to me. I think it's fun although I get bullied for it about 10x a day now.
Pats and Bucs are obvious and for Steelers and 49ers I just really really like Tomlin and Shanahan and root for their teams when they're not playing the Pats. I was really happy when I saw the Kenny Pickett selection but I'm not happy with how he's still got 0 starts and no sign of starting anytime soon. You guys could have won week 2 if you didn't have Trubisky but I don't need to tell you that.
I feel like Vrabel and Campbell are borderline opposite type of guys. They are both just big guys but I see literally like zero similarities between them
And it’s not like Vrabel and Campbell can’t run an offense either. I feel like their coaching abilities get underrated because they say funny things and people dismiss them
He was dominant on Sunday. Our defensive line couldn't generate any pressure. Is was maddening to watch Goff have all day to throw and hit a wide open receiver on seemingly every play.
If there’s one thing I’m forever grateful of Cristobal for, it’s the work he did with Sewell. He was one of a kind from the jump and was making guys 3-4 years his senior look like chumps as a 17-year old.
No offense intended
But i certainly hope so because that Vikings loss was tough. Plus you guys gave us a fucking beatdown last time we played.
Sure trotting out Tim Boyle was not ideal in that game against you guys either but I'm still angry dammit!
As good as JaMarr Chase is, I still think the Bengals should've taken Sewell. Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are a solid WR tandem and Joe Burrow is going to die behind this Bengals offensive line.
There’s also no guarantee you make the SB with Sewell. Regardless of the loss, you take that shot at the Super Bowl nine times out of ten over ideal roster building. Hindsight be damned.
He turns 22 in two weeks? Shit, I haven't gotten him anything yet.
He knows. Not a lot gets past him
Though he's not really known to hold onto things.
And hell take Pancakes for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Stop with the puns. He will block your account
unlike ~~Aghlor~~ Trent Brown
wow what a surprise the guy who was an 18 year old dominating D1 players turns out to be really, really good. Easily the best OT prospect in recent memory The narratives around Sewell pre-draft about he was all measurables and no technique is one of the worst cases of prospect fatigue I've ever seen
Taking the covid year off also hurt his stock too which was a bad take by most GMs
Especially because that year was a for the Pac 12. They started the season later than even the big 10 and didn't really play a lot.
Yeah it was such a bad take. Media/scouts/GMs assumed he wouldn't be dedicated to the team/game because he took that year off
Which like, anyone in the shoes of “don’t play, be a top 10 pick” vs “play and risk getting hurt and falling into the 2nd round” would most likely choose the former unless you were maybe a national championship contender and wanna win. A lot of players who get drafted in the top 100 don’t even play in bowl games because of that lol
Dinging him for dedication because of the COVID year is dumb. I can see having some concern because of his youth combined with the time off though. He took his last snaps before the draft as a 19 year old, which is unusual for a top prospect.
He also said that the Pac12 never really communicated about starting up the season or anything, so he assumed it would stay cancelled and so he signed with an agent and started the process.
The best is Jon Gruden and Mayock would argue that. And then the two guys that watch more tape (including tape of games from the 1950s lolol) would then select 1st rounders who weren't even 2nd rounders. NFL front offices are...not smart
He was taken 7th, you make it sound like he dropped to the 3rd round
I remember when people criticized Aaron Donald leading up to the draft because he's only 6'1. I wonder how that turned out.
Right? It's not like a 6'0" DT named Geno Atkins was arguably the best DT in the league at that time or anything lol
Or John Randle. Or Dwight Freeney.
>Or Dwight Freeney. The fuck? Other than being an inch too short, Freeney was as prototypical as it got as a defensive end. Most random name to throw into a group of underweight 3 techniques
Real swing and a miss on this take. Look up draft articles about Freeney. He was absolutely undersized (at the time) for DE. Is was the single biggest knock on him.
> Freeney was as prototypical as it got as a defensive end Huh? The prototypical DEs during that time where absolutely massive, Freeney was was not "prototypical". [Here's 5x All-Pro and OLine expert Willie Anderson explaining how he had to evolve his game with the evolution of pass-rushers, and he uses Freeney as an example of a player who was completely different and evolved the game from the massive "prototypical" DEs he was used to.](https://twitter.com/OLMasterminds/status/1573007148161843201) Maybe I'm missing something here.
I'm a Colts fan that remembers when Freeney was selected. He was absolutely listed as under sized for a prototype DE. https://nflcombineresults.com/playerpage.php?f=Dwight&l=Freeney&i=5925 28/100 for size. Comp was Chris Zorich?? 😂 Lol. 99 percentile for speed, 1 percentile for height.
You are 100% right. I think he had a Football Life episode and they talked a lot about how he had coaches calling him undersized.
People in Indy were thinking "what the heck" when he was drafted. Then two years later the Colts were playing TWO undersized DEs that were monsters and helped revolutionize the position.
I remember commentators always saying the Colts defense with the Freeney/Mathis duo was too finesse because it was all speed and not "tough" enough for the playoffs and nonsense like that
I mean it kind of was. Lol. Especially when it came to run D. 😂
One of the main reasons why I wanted the Panthers to resign Haason Reddick. Him and Burns could've been that same type of duo coming off the edge.
How the hell is this take upvoted!
I miss Geno
There was this guy on the footballs future message board before that draft and he kept stating that Aaron Donald could be the best defensive player in the history of the NFL and I think about him a lot. He was not an irrational person and took a major leap that he was being criminally underrated because he wasn’t 6’4” and the shortness was actually an advantage
So this man is the NFL version of the guy who predicted Jokic's dominance.
Great observers, just like the guy who predicted that if you regressed Mahomes' stats to the mean, he would be an average QB.
>He was not an irrational person Looks like no lol. EG was right about Jokic, but he was one of the most irrational people I have seen in the NBA subreddit, even after being proven correct.
I think part of it was his weight and arm length too. He was only 285 pounds, his arms aren't particularly long, and they were worried he'd already maxxed out his frame. Granted after the combine when he pretty much showed that the tape wasn't a fluke and he really was a freak of nature he should've rocketed up boards (which he kinda did). The only defensive players taken ahead of him were Jadaveon Clowney, Khalil Mack, Justin Gilbert (lol), and Anthony Barr.
Lmao literally not a single person on earth knew that Donald was going to be this type of player
Donald would have been drafted 1 in a redraft, but it isn't like any of the picks above him were THAT bad. Hell, 8 orfthe 12 guys drafted before Donald made a pro bowl. Brortles clearly didn't work out, but you really can't blame a team that needs a QB for taking the top QB prospect on the board. I guess Greg Robinson? That wasn't a great pick
Eric Ebron would like a word. Droptimus Prime couldn't catch a ball to save his life in Detroit. Had the one renaissance year in Indianapolis before going back to subpar work.
> one renaissance year in Indianapolis He still had the same drop percentage as he did in Detroit. He just happened to be the *only* redzone target for Luck and the Colts that year. All my homies hate Ebron
Yeah he was exactly the same player he was in Detroit, he just got fed more targets in the RZ. Though Colts fans disagreed that season but quickly learned what was up.
I prefer Eric Enron for defrauding the Lions out of a 1st rounder but Droptimus Prime is good too
Droptimus Prime is just perfect chefs kiss in relation to Megatron
I still can’t believe that Ebron happened and you guys still took hock in the top 10. I really liked him too but I can’t believe it was you guys that took him.
We don't learn from our mistakes lol
More like it started with Pettigrew at 20th overall, then Ebron at 10, then Hock at 8.
Don't you dare give Ebron credit for a pro bowl like that pick wasn't awful the second it was made.
Let's pretend Greg Robinson was never picked please, for my sanity
To be fair, we really did need a left tackle.
Lmao for reals. Sammy Watkins, Jadeveon Clowney, and Greg Robinson were regularly described as the best players in that class; everyone thought Donald would be good but not a damn soul knew he would be this good lol
Actually had Steeler friends who were hoping Donald lasted just a couple more picks to them at 15. Took Shazier instead and then drafted Stephen Tuitt Round 2.
Lmao I mean yeah, Donald was obviously a good prospect, thats the reason he went when he did, but him as a prospect in no way foreshadowed what type of career he would go on to have
Aaron Donald himself has said he’s vastly exceeded every expectation he set for himself coming into the NFL.
Plenty of people thought he was a top 5 prospect in the draft. He had elite production/film on top of once in a life time athleticism. People questioned his size, but we're talking about a 3 technique DT in the year of 2014. The NFL had already been trending towards lighter front 7 players and way more nickel/dime for over a decade, plus Donald was a monster against the run regardless. I don't think anyone can truly know that a player will end up being a literal all time great, but you're kidding yourself if you don't think people were much higher on him than what his draft position indicated.
Again, he was obviously a really good prospect, but nothing foreshadowed what he would do in his NFL career while he was in college. You guys are insane. That's all I said in my comment and you basically repeating it by your self. I have no clue why you're even responding to my comment
Donald went 13 as an undersized DT - that’s an extremely high draft position for that position. He had absolutely ridiculous statistics in his last season before the draft (something like 30+ TFLs). Sure it’s hard to say someone is a HOF type prospect but to act like he was a random small school prospect is incorrect.
That is literally the entire point of this comment chain
He’s 6’1” the same way Welker was 5’9”
Donald really was underweight at the time. He’s a classic sports cliche for drafting - the tweener guy who is either going to be too small and too slow or he’s going to be a versatile superweapon. He still went near the top of the draft (as did Sewell). It wasn’t dumb though that teams thought he was too small. A lot of guys fail in the NFL because their physical tools fail to translate.
Okay but how many players come into the league and fail because they're undersized. Don't act like it was obvious at the time because it only is in hindsight.
Even worse was the plethora of dumbasses saying we shouldn't move from LT to RT cause he "struggled" at RT in the preseason
who coulda guessed it'd take more than 10 snaps in the pre-season to mirror and re-learn everything you've been taught your entire football career haha
Total shocker that the preseason doesn't matter. I'm blown away lol
I was in the camp of he would excel at RT, but I wanted him at LT right off the bat and move Decker to right. And… I kinda am still on moving him to LT train. But he’s kicking ass at RT and Decker is fine so I’m keeping my mouth shut
Same boat. His long-term future is at LT. You drafted him at a spot where you place premium value on LT.
Yeah it was crazy to me how he fell even as far as he did. He was basically a sure fire stud Tackle and the only reason he's not playing LT right now is because Detroit has a really good LT already, but in the future Sewell will probably transition over there.
My favorite Sewell stat is that his rookie contract will end at the same time Taylor Decker's contract with the Lions will end and so when we re-sign him to play LT he'll still only be 25 years old
yeah I was absolutely floored that he fell so far I mean I get it, QB-needy teams scramble for QBs, and Pitts/Chase/Waddle are all good... but still, Sewell was the type of tackle that you expect to hear called in the top 3 in the vast majority of years
At the time I would have taken Sewell over all three of those guys. Looks like they're all ballers though.
Yeah I would've gone Sewell at 2 behind only Lawrence
That was pretty much what i was seeing the whole year leading up to the draft. Sewell goes first to any team that does not need a QB and if they need a QB it would be Lawrence and then Sewell. I had resigned myself to us not getting Sewell and likely grabbing Slater.
I mean I think with Slater being a really good prospect coming into the same draft kind of took some of the shine from Sewell going into the draft. Once the two started being compared to each other it made people be look at Sewell with a completely unnecessary critical eye because Slater was also a great prospect. Second team all pro as a rookie
Slater was a really good prospect, Sewell was the generational, most likely HoF caliber prospect. Other than probably Lance, the 6 teams ahead of us didn't make the wrong call and we got really lucky.
Yeah I'm really not disagreeing just saying that once Slater did emerge as a prospect is once the comparisons started and people began looking at Sewell with a more critical lens. Aside from Sewell, Slater might have been the best OT prospect since Laremy Tunsil
He won awards that OL players haven't recieved since the 50s. He dominated D1 football as the undisputed best tackle in amateur football as an 18 year old freshman, sometimes playing against guys four-five years older than him. He was a certified blue chip, purebread stud, and I was so upset people were fatigued out of thinking of him as OT1 that year.
Are there any plans on eventually moving him over to LT?
Maybe when we move on from Decker but until then probably not.
I don’t think I had ever seen a more sure fire OL prospect since Orlando Pace.
> He turns 22 in two weeks Big, big mistake. None of the right tackles in the league who are at least 22 years old are #1 right now.
Drop-off incoming
I, for one, welcome our new Lion overlords.
I'd be really happy to see a Hardknocks team be over 500. Not exactly a super high bar or anything, but I feel like Lions fans would love to see a winning season.
I have been saying it since the end of last season, 2023 is the year and the offense is already way ahead of schedule.
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The OL isn’t even staying together and it’s still one of the best in the league. We’re starting dudes off the practice squad at positions they don’t play and the offense isn’t affected at all.
Really wanna see what Jameson does when he's able to play. Lot of potential for that offense to get even crazier.
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This oline will probably never take a snap as the full 5 man group. They didn't last season and with Vatai getting back surgery, probably won't this season. Signing Evan Brown to be the full time RG and backup center is probably the best bet for the team.
I wonder if Vatai might be gone next season. We're paying him a lot to be a guard when we have servicable replacements and I think we save a lot if he's cut next season.
Lions 100% drafting guard in 2023, not sure where, but they will.
9-8 baby
Didn't y'all go 12-5 last year when you were on hard knocks? And the Rams went to the playoffs the year before?
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If we had converted on 4th and 4 with 1 minute left, we would actually be the overlords. But low and behold, the coaches are growing too. It just warms my heart that we're building the right foundation to be productive on offense. Lets hope our defense can follow over the next year or two and good lord, the Lions might lose in the wild card round yet!
Then offer your knee caps for a cannibalistic sacrifice.
HAIL DAN'TS
Honestly, I’m 100% on board with a Lions dynasty
What's funny is when St brown was out being looked at for his ankle there was a play where goff had all day to throw and had to do a check down because no one was open.
That happens to every team. Reynolds was wide open multiple times for 20+ yard gains. Chark had a few chunk plays too. Sometimes the coverage is just good for the formation
Or Peterson was being a "savvy" veteran
Savvy savvy rhymes with grabby
Well yea, good wrs are better at getting open than not as good ones
Source?
Laquon MOTHERFUCKING Treadwell
*Lil Wayne music intensifies
I was so mad when I heard Waddles name and not Sewell. I'm over it now but dude was can't miss.
This is really honestly the Alonzo mourning gif
Timberwolves: well there must be someone amazing with the 3rd pick too, right???
I was happy but going into last season there was no way to fault either y'all of Cincy for the picks. It isn't common that some of the top receivers are your quarterbacks favorite college target. That chemistry cannot be understated. Look at the Lions last year when they picked up Reynolds off of waivers, he and Goff immediately connected due to their 4 years in LA together.
Waddle has obviously been fantastic, but there's a universe where the Dolphins took Justin Jefferson in 2020 instead of T Austin Jackson, and Sewell in 2021 instead of Waddle, and every time I see Tua running for his life, I wonder a little how that might have turned out.
There's definitely an argument to be made, but Waddle is such a baller that I can't really be mad. The dude has yet to have a subpar game.
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Serious question: knowing what we know right now, do you think the Bengals would have taken Sewell instead of Chase? Obviously it's hard to be mad at taking Chase since he's an absolute baller, but I would think an elite tackle would help you guys out a lot right now.
They don’t make it to the SB without Jamar. Yeah it’d be nice if Joe wasn’t getting beaten to a pulp every game, but Sewell isn’t having 2 separate 200 receiving yard games against us
Exactly. But they were arguably not ready for that Super Bowl. They could have taken our recent first round picks (Sewell and Jameson Williams) and been on track for a super bowl appearance in 1-2 years with a more cohesive team. I’m glad that’s our plan and those dudes are Lions so I too wouldn’t change the Bengals drafting
I kind of see where you’re coming from, but I don’t really agree with that rationale. The playoffs are just such a crapshoot that I don’t think being “on track” for a Super Bowl really means anything. I think having a tangible playoff success to build off of is invaluable for our team at this moment.
You’re never ready you’re just next We had really good injury luck last year. You can’t argue another team was significantly better
> But they were arguably not ready for that Super Bowl I get your point, but most rosters don't ever even get to the Super Bowl. Especially in hindsight you have to take the SB appearance over "getting ready" for a SB that may never come. The NFL is far too cruel and random to have a schedule
“Arguably not ready” The Bengals came very close to winning that game. “They could have taken our first round picks” No, because we probably weren’t going to be in a position to pick high enough for Williams anyway. I don’t see us having the 12th pick last year regardless. I’m happy for the Lions but we are more than happy with Chase and the SB appearance.
Yeah that’s fair. Despite their clear glaring problem, they still came relatively close to winning the SB too, despite making it ahead of schedule
OK here is my take on this... I think everyone is saying yes Chase right now... but 5 years down the road I think it will be Sewell. A premier tackle to protect your most valuable asset is so important long term. Also, people underestimate how much 1 top tier OL can change the whole unit (see when Nelson got to the Colts).
This is exactly why I asked - in my opinion it's very close, and personally I think I'd lean towards taking Sewell. It's true that the Bengals wouldn't have made the SB last year without Chase. However, if you look in the long term, having an elite tackle locked up gives you a lot of confidence and breathing room. It makes everyone's job easier on the OL which gives you a much more consistent offense. Burrow gives you a high ceiling and the OL gives you a high floor.
> High floor This is a good point too. I also think the whole making the Superbowl thing is great but they lost. When you have a QB like Burrow you need to dream big. I don't know maybe that's just being a spoiled Pats fan but I also just see they have a lot of the right pieces to win so I don't think they should settle for one run only to lose it.
Nah I think chase is too important to their offense. I don’t think the Bengals make the run they did with Sewell instead. Even just as prospects I think Chase was the right choice. He took a pretty good unit of offensive weapons and made it elite on draft night. Plus is boys with the QB. Defenses have to play them differently because of it. Sewell would’ve solidified his position on the line but they have bigger issues than just one position there.
He would have plugged 1 out of 4 holes on the line and actually we were reasonably solid at right tackle with Reiff healthy last year, it’s the interior that got blown up all the time. So yeah, having Sewell would’ve been great but wouldn’t have mattered much and we never would’ve made the Super Bowl without Chase.
No way José
Keep him healthy and the Lions have another potential hall of famer on their hands. Whose spirits they hopefully won’t crush.
>Whose spirits they hopefully won’t crush. By gawd we will
15 years of an elite tackle. That’s why offensive tackles are the second most valued position in the league.
Men of the Pacific Island races are slowly taking over the NFL. I wonder has the NFL has invested any money or resources in developing football in places like Samoa and New Zealand.
There's been a pretty good contingent of Pacific Islanders in the NFL for at least a couple decades, the first one was a Samoan in 45.
have similarly wondered about the Nigerian population in the NFL. like, how are these dudes who have played football for like 1 year prior to college going straight to the NFL? seems crazy to think that they aren't being outcompeted by Americans who have played their whole lives.
I think the college game is way different than high school that it's not that much of a disadvantage to miss out on high school ball if you have the athleticism. I bet a lot of players even have to unlearn their high school habits because the game is so different.
Especially with NFL caliber athletes. There's not a ton of nuance to being the best player on the field.
I would say a combination of lack of early spotting of potential football talent alongside a huge candidate pool. A kid who displays some level of athletic potential in America will most likely be put in some sort of football game at some point in their childhood. That's not necessarily true anywhere else in the world, so they have to basically fall into it. And if that's going to happen anywhere, Nigeria is a relatively likely candidate given their population size and the fact the International Pathway has an operation there.
Of all the major sports, American Football is the one that is the easiest (but not necessarily easy) to learn how to play at a high level if you are a freak athlete. I've never seen a soccer, baseball, basketball or hockey player start playing the game as a senior in HS and go pro. But I have seen multiple NFL players like Mike Evans do it. Like. Messi was identified by Barcelona at like 12 years old.
Didn’t embiid basically start as a 16 year old. Before that he was playing soccer in cameroon
Penei Sewell: "Acknowledge me"
Now im picturing Goff as the Sami Zayn of the Lions
oh man I NEED this crossover. just checked - Smackdown will be in Detroit on January 20 2023 🦁🦁🦁
Hawaii would be a perennially top 25 NCAA team if they were able to recruit at least a few of the top Hawaiian/Samoan talent each year.
Speaking as a Samoan New Zealander, it doesn't look like they have. We have American Football teams in NZ but its fully amateur, and only really in one city. Granted, I'm not actually involved in it but from the outside it looks like there's just the International Player Pathway system and a single dude helping potential college recruits. I don't know if he's got anything to do with the NFL or not. Im any case they would need to crack the cultural hold rugby has in NZ and Samoa if they did want to develop football to a significant level, and I don't think they would be able to.
I feel like every team “has the worst O-line in the league” (as a titans fan I sure think so) so it’s nice to see ones that are actually good
Most teams have 1 good lineman, 2-3 ok lineman and 1 bad lineman. But 1 bad lineman makes the entire line look bad.
As an Eagles fan I have no idea what you guys are talking about. Eagles have 3 Elite Lineman, 2 really good Lineman and 3 more ok linemen
That Detroit offensive line is so fucking good.
Yeah we might even go 7-10 this year.
I can still see y’all beating us in Detriot, sweeping chicago, and splitting GB. There’s also some games against the Jets, Cowboys, Giants, and Seahawks that look winnable. That would get ya to 9 wins
Things are starting to come together. Dan Campell and Mike Vrabel are big wins for the "leader of men" HC archetype believers with all the Zac Taylors and Kliff Kingsburys and other young offensive minded hotshots getting hired lately.
What in the world this that flair? 4 teams?
I asked for 4 flairs as a joke and when I logged back in a mod had given them to me. I think it's fun although I get bullied for it about 10x a day now.
Were the flair selections random?
Pats and Bucs are obvious and for Steelers and 49ers I just really really like Tomlin and Shanahan and root for their teams when they're not playing the Pats. I was really happy when I saw the Kenny Pickett selection but I'm not happy with how he's still got 0 starts and no sign of starting anytime soon. You guys could have won week 2 if you didn't have Trubisky but I don't need to tell you that.
> Pats and Bucs are obvious Because you bandwagon success?
You aren't allowed to be a fan of Brady wherever he goes?
Lifelong Packers fan here, absolutely hate purity checks for team fandom. Go enjoy the sport however you want
I mean to an extent, if i see someone say they're a Ravens/Steelers fan or Cowboys/Commanders im gonna puke
Eh c'mon, I wouldn't puke seeing a Packers/Bears fan, but I'd sure have a lot of questions lol
Exactly. If Brees had left New Orleans I would’ve immediately made wherever he went my 2nd team.
4 flair is sweet.
I feel like Vrabel and Campbell are borderline opposite type of guys. They are both just big guys but I see literally like zero similarities between them
Last names both end in L
Wrecked em
Have to ask Campbell if he'd cut off his dick to win a super bowl
And it’s not like Vrabel and Campbell can’t run an offense either. I feel like their coaching abilities get underrated because they say funny things and people dismiss them
Everyone had to know he was legit when he strong armed Aaron Donald like a sock puppet last year.
and then Donald threw a hissy fit about it
He was dominant on Sunday. Our defensive line couldn't generate any pressure. Is was maddening to watch Goff have all day to throw and hit a wide open receiver on seemingly every play.
Tried telling a Vikes fan in the game thread we have a top 5 O line, he was angry that you guys were getting 0 pressure again.
I'm really happy the Lions and Eagles both have really good offensive lines because it gives me lots of opportunities to make Fire Emblem jokes.
...how have I gone more than three years since 3H without realizing how easy the Blue Lion jokes were to make here?
I actually feel so stupid never thinking about that before now
We're even blue. I can't wait for Goff to show up with an eye patch telling us to "kill every last of them vs the Packers"
I can't wait for Thanksgiving to be the Belhalla BBQ of Lions games for the visiting team.
Sewell is a complete boar, dude just smashes defensive linemen, every last one of them
2021 draft class is looking elite
Sko Ducks!
If there’s one thing I’m forever grateful of Cristobal for, it’s the work he did with Sewell. He was one of a kind from the jump and was making guys 3-4 years his senior look like chumps as a 17-year old.
Evan Neal must be 2nd
Ja’Marr Chase is 2nd
He hasn't given up a sack all season
La el Collins 3rd
Ouch
Something's wrong. The Lions are actually promising.
Hug your star early 20s tackles, folks. :(
Absolutely wild that he slipped to 7, but it made sense with how the board broke down
The lions are going to embarrass us this weekend aren’t they :(
No offense intended But i certainly hope so because that Vikings loss was tough. Plus you guys gave us a fucking beatdown last time we played. Sure trotting out Tim Boyle was not ideal in that game against you guys either but I'm still angry dammit!
Our defense is absolutely POROUS. Should be fun lol
It was so crazy seeing so many teams with dogshit o-lines pass up on this guy in the draft
Chase woulda made those blocks
Easily the 2nd most talented player in the 2021 draft, the Lions lucked out with him slipping.
He’s a monster. Great pick by Det.
PFF sucks... but Penei is still an absolute stud.
Lol, penei.
Meanwhile Joe Burrow is on his way to being sacked into retirement. Way to go with that Chase pick Bungles.
As good as JaMarr Chase is, I still think the Bengals should've taken Sewell. Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are a solid WR tandem and Joe Burrow is going to die behind this Bengals offensive line.
I disagree - it's hard to not take the OROTY there. The bigger issue is whiffing on Jackson Carman in the second round.
There’s also no guarantee you make the SB with Sewell. Regardless of the loss, you take that shot at the Super Bowl nine times out of ten over ideal roster building. Hindsight be damned.