Episode
Daily DLP: Defending Penei Sewell's Greatness Detroit Lions Podcast
- Podcast
- The Detroit Lions Podcast
- Published
- Jul 13, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1448
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://traffic.megaphone.fm/TTEOS1773094153.mp3
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Summary
Penei Sewell is an elite NFL offensive tackle, not the 10th-best, as ESPN pundit Mike Clay ranked him. He finished third in pass protection efficiency at 98.2 with only two sacks, six hits, 11 hurries, and 19 total pressures allowed, plus a 95.1 overall and 96.7 run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. Is ESPN underrating Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell? Yes. Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell ranks among the NFL’s best, not 10th. As Jeff Risdon noted, Pro Football Focus graded Sewell at 95.1 overall with a 96.7 run blocking grade, and he allowed just two sacks, six quarterback hits, 11 hurries, and 19 total pressures in 2025. Those results track with a 98.2 pass protection efficiency, which placed him third among qualifying tackles. ESPN’s ranking leans on a proprietary pass block win rate and on the note that Sewell is moving sides. Risdon acknowledged that switching from right tackle to left tackle is a fair consideration, but he emphasized Sewell has played left tackle in the NFL and handled it well. Every visible performance marker says he belongs at the top tier. Does pass block win rate measure what matters in protection? No. What matters is not losing, and Sewell rarely loses. As Jeff Risdon said, the ESPN metric is subjective and measures “wins,” while pass protection success is about preventing losses. Sewell’s 98.2 efficiency shows he prevents losses as well as almost anyone, backed by only 19 total pressures conceded across a 50 percent of 1,294 snaps qualifier pool. Context also matters. Protection can change based on a tight end’s alignment, the guard inside, or compensating for interior issues. Risdon pointed out that Detroit often had to shade inside last year because the center struggled, and Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff is not…