{"id":848590,"date":"2026-04-02T04:32:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T04:32:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/848590\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T04:32:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T04:32:23","slug":"lions-expected-to-make-risky-penei-sewell-play-draft-o-tackle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/848590\/","title":{"rendered":"Lions Expected to Make Risky Penei Sewell Play, Draft O-Tackle"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Detroit\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes are getting pushback after a report from a former player.<\/p>\n

The Detroit Lions<\/a> aren\u2019t trading superstar right tackle Penei Sewell<\/a>, but that doesn\u2019t mean he won\u2019t be on the move this offseason.<\/p>\n

Jason LaCanfora of Sportsboom noted Wednesday, April 1 the frequency with which Lions brass has discussed flipping Sewell from the right side of the line to a new position at left tackle, and what that says about both the 2026 NFL<\/a> draft class and what Detroit will try to accomplish with the No. 17 pick in Round 1.<\/p>\n

\u201cCampbell has talked openly lately about moving Sewell to left tackle; that\u2019s being interpreted by some of his peers as a nod to the lack of strength at left tackle in this draft and perhaps an indication of finding a plug-and-play right tackle from college,\u201d LaCanfora wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n

DraftKings currently handicaps Detroit\u2019s first-round pick as an offensive lineman with odds of minus-175, a figure indicating it is far more likely the Lions will bolster the O-line with the 17th pick than not.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s gotta be an offensive lineman,\u201d an unnamed general manager told LaCanfora. \u201cIt seems pretty obvious to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kadyn Proctor<\/a> of Alabama has mid-first-round value, according to most national mock drafts, and he is who LaCanfora mentioned as the player the Lions are most likely to target.<\/p>\n

Lions Must Replace Departed Left Tackle Taylor Decker\"Taylor<\/p>\n

GettyFormer Detroit Lions left tackle Taylor Decker.<\/p>\n

Field Yates of ESPN predicted<\/a> Detroit to draft Proctor in his most recent mock.<\/p>\n

Left tackle is a sizable need for Detroit with the\u00a0departure\u00a0of\u00a0Taylor Decker<\/a> after 10 seasons. Proctor is a sizable answer to the problem \u2014 literally \u2014 at 6-7, 352 pounds. He has power when he gets his hands on defenders in the running game as well.<\/p>\n

Proctor\u2019s tape had up-and-down moments during his final college season, as sometimes his foot quickness was overmatched by edge-rushers. But the upside is immense for the 20-year-old left tackle, who started all 40 games he appeared in at Alabama.<\/p>\n

Proctor\u2019s experience on the left side could allow him to develop into the role at an NFL level over a year or two.<\/p>\n

Lions May Be Better Off Leaving Penei Sewell at Right Tackle\"Penei<\/p>\n

GettyDetroit Lions right tackle Penei Sewell.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the meantime, the Lions can try sliding Sewell, the team\u2019s $112 million<\/a> All-Pro, over to protect quarterback Jared Goff\u2019s<\/a> blindside. However, offensive line experts assert that transitioning from right to left tackle is not so simple as the uninitiated often make it sound.<\/p>\n

Hence, the risk Detroit will take if it selects either a right tackle, or a prospective left tackle who may not be ready to play the position at a high level right away.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the 2026 prospect with the highest ceiling as a left tackle in Monroe Freeling<\/a> of Georgia. ESPN\u2019s Matt Miller sent Freeling to the Lions in his latest mock, which came out this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cDecker\u2019s\u00a0release\u00a0leaves an opening at left tackle barring a move from\u00a0Penei Sewell from the right side. Either way, the Lions need tackle help,\u201d Miller wrote<\/a>. \u201cFreeling was a one-year starter at Georgia but has elite traits in terms of movement, size (6-foot-7, 315 pounds) and 4.93 speed. Freeling is one of the few proven left tackles with a Round 1 grade and has the upside of a higher-end starter thanks to his upper-level athletic skills plus his development over the course of the 2025 season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who the Lions select may come down to which players are available to them midway through Round 1, as offensive tackle is a need for several franchises picking before Detroit, including the Cleveland Browns (6th), Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> (9th) and even the Los Angeles Rams (13th).<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMax Dible<\/a> covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Lions\n\t\t<\/p>\n

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