| No. 58 – Detroit Lions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | October 9, 2000 Malaeimi, American Samoa | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 331 lb (150 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Desert Hills (St. George, Utah) | ||||
| College: | Oregon (2018–2020) | ||||
| NFL Draft: | 2021 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2021 | |||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||
Penei Sewell (born October 9, 2000) is an American football offensive tackle for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). A native of American Samoa, he and his family moved to Utah in 2012. He played college football for the Oregon Ducks, where he was named a unanimous All-American and was awarded the Outland and Morris trophies as a sophomore in 2019. Sewell opted out of his junior season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently declared for the 2021 NFL Draft, where he was drafted seventh overall by the Lions.
Sewell was born on October 9, 2000, in Malaeimi, a village in American Samoa near the capital of Pago Pago.[1] As a child, he would begin playing American football alongside his three brothers after his father Gabriel became a coach of the sport.[2] Seeing the potential for his children to make it to the National Football League (NFL), Gabriel would move his family to St. George, Utah in 2012.[2][3][4] There, Sewell attended and played football at Desert Hills High School.[2] As a senior in 2018, he played in the US Army All-American and Polynesian Bowls before committing to the University of Oregon to play college football for the Oregon Ducks.[5][6][7]
Sewell became an immediate starter during his freshman year for the Ducks in 2018, starting seven games but missing six due to a high ankle sprain.[8][9] He returned in 2019 and won the Morris Trophy and Outland Trophy.[10][11] In addition, he and former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa were selected as co-recipients of the 2019 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year award.[12] Sewell opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and declared for the 2021 NFL Draft.[13]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+7⁄8 in (1.95 m) |
331 lb (150 kg) |
33+1⁄4 in (0.84 m) |
10+3⁄8 in (0.26 m) |
5.10 s | 1.79 s | 2.97 s | 4.68 s | 7.76 s | 28.0 in (0.71 m) |
9 ft 1 in (2.77 m) |
30 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[14] | ||||||||||||
Regarded as one of the best overall prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft, Sewell was selected seventh overall by the Detroit Lions.[15] He would sit out of the team's rookie minicamp in May 2021 after he tested positive for COVID-19.[16] Sewell would sign his four-year rookie contract, worth $24.1 million, the same month.[17]
Sewell has three brothers: Gabriel, Nephi, and Noah. Gabriel is a linebacker for the Nevada Wolfpack, Nephi is a linebacker for the New Orleans Saints, and Noah is a linebacker for Oregon.[18][19] The brothers are nephews of former NFL players Isaac Sopoaga and Richard Brown.[20]
