Oregon Football: Lions get future Hall of Famer Penei Sewell at No. 7

As the first few picks of the 2021 NFL Draft rolled in, fans were starting to wonder if there would be any curveballs in the top 10 regarding Oregon football star Penei Sewell.

There was already a curveball in the top three as the San Francisco 49ers shocked everyone by taking Trey Lance with only 17 career starts under his belt at the FCS level over Mac Jones and Justin Fields, but the rest of the top-four was pretty much set in stone.

Trevor Lawrence went first overall, Zach Wilson went second, and Kyle Pitts went fourth.

At No. 5, the Bengals had a huge need at left tackle but decided to go with flash in Ja’Marr Chase from LSU. He was the best receiver in the draft but Joe Burrow just suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2020 but apparently, that wasn’t enough to convince them to take the top lineman.

Penei Sewell makes the Lions very happy

We finally heard Sewell’s name at No. 7 to the Detroit Lions. The pick made sense for both sides because the Lions have had shaky line play for years and it was one of the top needs in Detroit. Plus, he’s ready to play right away.

And this pick could pay off in a big way as an anonymous NFL coach dubbed Sewell the “future Hall of Famer” in this draft class.

As someone who grew up as a Lions fan, this pick makes me very happy. The Lions can finally lock up that left tackle position for years and he will protect Jared Goff for a couple of years until they find their true franchise quarterback.

Sewell was the biggest steal of the draft through the first seven picks.