Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell is the consensus top left tackle in the 2021 NFL Draft. But in what may be an effort to improve his value to other teams, he’s working out at another position too.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Sewell has started working out at right tackle. Sewell played exclusively at left tackle in the two seasons he played with the Ducks.
Rapoport noted that Sewell’s move might be preparation for the possibility that a team that already has a starting left tackle drafts him. He wants to be ready in case he gets slotted in at right tackle for his rookie season.
It’s a savvy move. 2013 No. 1 overall pick Eric Fisher spent his rookie season at right tackle before the Chiefs moved him to left tackle the following year.
Other teams have done the opposite. Jedrick Wills played right tackle at Alabama but was moved to left tackle when the Cleveland Browns drafted him.
Versatility is key: #Oregon LT Penei Sewell, the Draft’s consensus top OT, has been training at right tackle as well as left tackle (which he played in college). Sewell is preparing for the possibility that someone with an entrenched LT drafts him & puts him at RT for a year.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 16, 2021
Penei Sewell was an absolute wall for Justin Herbert as a sophomore at Oregon. He was a unanimous First-Team All-American and won the Outland Trophy, helping the Ducks win the Rose Bowl in 2019.
Sewell took the 2020 college football season off in the wake of COVID-19. He was the consensus top left tackle then, and has maintained that status for the better part of a year.
While the top three picks are expected to be used on quarterbacks, there’s a very good chance at Sewell doesn’t make it past the fifth pick, where the Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati Bengals will be waiting.
Where do you think Penei Sewell will be drafted?
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