Lions' Penei Sewell on Dan Campbell: 'If he wants me to run through a wall, I'm going to do it'

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell has the monumental task ahead of him of trying to take a team known for ineptitude and losing and turning them into a champion. That will be easier said than done for Campbell, especially as a first-time head coach entering just his second season in Detroit, but getting early buy-in from his star players will surely help his cause.

One of those star players, and one of the most important players in the organization, is tackle Penei Sewell, who the Lions drafted with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Sewell, at 6-foot-5, 335 pounds, boasts extreme athleticism and a nasty streak that make it easy to predict that he'll be one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL for years to come.

He's a cornerstone piece for Detroit, and it's players like Sewell buying in both on and off the field that make rebuilds work. That's what the Lions need from Sewell, so fans have to be excited about a recent report from training camp that paints the big tackle -- and Campbell -- in the best kind of light.

The story, from Will Burchfield, centers around a screen pass that saw Sewell act as a lead blocker for talented second-year wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown. Cornerback Jeff Okudah was apparently charged with trying to break this screen up on the edges of Detroit's defense, which led him to a one-on-one confrontation with Sewell. That ended like you may expect: with a pancake.

"That's just football," Sewell said when asked about the play, per Burchfield. "I don't know what happened. I gotta watch the film."

That's a pretty nonchalant answer from the big tackle, but he explained that he's just doing his job for the Lions, and right now, his job is doing whatever his head coach asks him to do.

"Whatever Coach asks me, I'm going to do it," Sewell said. "If he wants me to run through a wall, I'm going to do it. Simple as that."

Detroit was 3-13-1 last season but did win three of its last six games, so there is optimism that Campbell has what it takes to turn the ship around.