When they lifted the hood of the wreck they inherited, Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell didn't find much. A pile of spare parts on offense, an oil spill on defense. They did find an engine. Beneath the smoke and the grime and the stench of three putrid seasons, they found an offensive line.
They found Taylor Decker, a proven left tackle coming off the best season of his career. They found Frank Ragnow, a Pro Bowl center. They found Jonah Jackson, a guard coming into his own. They found versatile pieces in Tyrell Crosby and Halapoulivaati Vaitai. No rust, no rot. Vaitai, 27, is the oldest player in the group.
Now the youngest is 20-year-old Penei Sewell.
"He’s going to be a great addition to our offensive line," Holmes said Thursday night after Detroit drafted Sewell seventh overall. "He’s just a transcendent talent. I can’t quite remember a guy that has feet like him in a long time."
Sewell, who starred at left tackle at Oregon, will slot in at right tackle for the Lions. If he fulfills his potential -- and that's always the big 'if' on draft night -- Detroit's offensive line will feature a dominant outside-in trio. As a five-man unit, Dan Orlovsky said it will be one of the five best in the NFL.
And not just this season or next season -- "for the better part of a decade," Orlovsky said.
That's the point for Holmes and Campbell. For all the flash and dash of the NFL, games are still won in the trenches. A strapping offensive line gives the Lions -- the Lions!! -- a chance to win each week and each season into the future. They didn't reach for Sewell at No. 7. They picked him because he was the best player available, and because Holmes and Campbell want this engine to purr.
"When we sat down and started to look at the roster as a whole, we identified the offensive line as a strength of our team," Holmes said. "To be able to, let's say, feed the beast and add to that strength, that’s really what it came down to. Our visions were aligned in terms of adding a player like him to make that unit even more powerful."
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Sewell isn't just the youngest player on Detroit's O-line. He's also the biggest. He's a hulk of a man who's light on his feet, "a dancing bear who never gets his uniform dirty," said three-time Super Bowl-winning exec Michael Lombardi. He's 6'6 and 330 pounds of aggression, but don't take it from us.
"I’m ready to get under somebody’s chin and make them uncomfortable," Sewell said.
"He gives us a little more beef up front, makes us a little more athletic up front," said Campbell. "He’ll fit like a glove with Decker, Ragnow, Jackson, all those guys. We’re excited, the kid’s excited."
The previous regime in Detroit -- and so many others before that -- failed by acting smart in the draft. The only ones they fooled were themselves. Actual smarts are different, sharp but not sly. The two simplest first-round picks of Bob Quinn's tenure were also the most successful: Decker and Ragnow.
Holmes and Campbell could've acted smart Thursday night. They could've tried to plug a hole with a shiny player, like wide receiver Devonta Smith or linebacker Micah Parsons. They could've lit up the draft by taking quarterback Justin Fields. Instead, they kept their heads and got their guy.
"It's often termed not as sexy when you go with a big lineman," said Holmes. "They say it’s safe or sound. But I think it will be the sexy, attractive pick when he’s rolling with our offensive line and making an impact in both phases."
If the bear starts dancing and the Lions -- the Lions! -- start winning, we'll all be singing the praises of Sewell.