With the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions selected OT Penei Sewell out of Oregon.
It is well-documented how excited the Lions were that Sewell dropped into their laps and most fans were just as excited.
But what if Sewell had not fallen? What if he was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals before the Lions were even on the clock?
Well, according to Dallas Cowboys LB Micah Parsons, the Lions told him about a month earlier at his pro day that if he was available when they were on the clock with the No. 7 pick that they were going to select him.
“I remember at the Pro Day, the Lions was like, ‘Man, if you on the clock, we taking you,’” Parsons said on The Pivot podcast. “So, I was like, ‘Man, I could be a Lion right now.’”
Sewell then acknowledged that selecting Sewell ahead of him made sense for the Lions.
“Days before the draft word got out that the Bengals were going to take Ja’Marr instead of Penei. So the Lions was like, ‘If Penei is there, he could be a generational lineman.’ So, you gotta take him to protect the quarterback, which makes a lot of sense because linemen have a lot more value than linebackers if you only playing one position.”
Here is the full interview with Parsons. We have it starting for you right before Parsons talks about what the Lions told him.
Nation, should the Lions have selected Micah Parsons over Penei Sewell?