When NFL commissioner Rodger Goodell announced that the Detroit Lions had selected OT Penei Sewell with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, I have to admit, I (and many other Lions’ fans) jumped in joy.
But as happy as I was as a fan, it sure seems like Lions head coach Dan Campbell, GM Brad Holmes, and the rest of the Lions’ staff (including owner Sheila Ford Hamp) who were in their draft war room, were at least equally excited about getting Sewell at No. 7.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated recently spoke to Campbell about the pick and Campbell had the perfect analogy for the moment prior to the Lions selecting Sewell.
“Right when that came across the league wire that Miami had selected [Jaylen] Waddle, I’m telling you it was like the opponent we’re playing just missed a field goal and we won,” Cambell said on a call with me and Holmes on Friday. “Man, look, the scouts have a hand in it and we want them to have a say. And these scouts, and Brad in particular, have spent three seasons on some of these guys. …
“And Brad always said, ‘Let’s identify the players we love across the board,’ that collectively, the whole group, there are guys we can really sign off on. And when we turn in that slip, we write that name down, we are going to all be excited. There is not going to be, ‘Well we were split, half and half down the room.’ We wanted to make sure we had true buy-in on these guys, and certainly, it started with Sewell. And yeah, [the reaction] was authentic.”
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“There’s this whole thing, act like you’ve been there before,” Campbell continued. “Well, guess what? We haven’t been there before. This is our first time together, man. This is our first time collectively. And if you’re Brad, this is Brad’s game, man. If you’re a GM, this is your first shot. This would be like a head coach getting his first win. It’s a big deal.”
Yeah, it is safe to say that Campbell is STILL fired up about his pick!
