Notes: Penei Sewell ranked among PFF’s top rookies for first time since Week 1

Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell is back in PFF’s list of top 15 rookies for the first time since Week 1.

Each week, PFF’s Michael Renner ranks his top 15 rookies and Sewell came in at ... well, No. 15. Not too terrible for a team standing at 0-10-1.

Sewell’s Thanksgiving Day performance earned him a spot among the best this week due to his excellent run blocking. He received a 93.2 grade.

“For him to be 21 years old and moving grown men the way he does is not normal. After some early-season struggles, Sewell has earned an 85.7 overall grade since week 6,” Renner writes.

While many names have reappeared each week, Sewell’s has shown up just one other time — the very first week of the 2021 season. This was following the game against San Francisco, after Sewell had flipped to left tackle in place of Taylor Decker.

“While offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn did his best to limit the number of times Sewell was left on an island against Nick Bosa, Sewell still went one-on-one a bunch. He pass protected for 71 snaps on the day and allowed six pressures — almost all to the inside,” Renner wrote Week 1.

While you’d certainly hope he’d appear on the list of top rookies each week, showing up as a bright spot after a brutal loss on national television with the season already down the drain... well, it’s something.

And onto your notes.

• An observation from Dave Birkett of the Free Press:

• The Washington Post’s Neil Greenberg explains how according to the data, the Lions aren’t statistically likely to go winless again this season. “Using each team’s actual and projected point margins to get a sense of their true talent level also allows us to figure out how likely one team is to beat another. By this method, the Lions’ first win is most likely to come at the Falcons in Week 16.”

• Darius Slay still holds a grudge against the Cowboys.... I wonder... why...

• An interesting piece from PFF’s Arjun Menon on whether drops should be attributed to receivers or quarterbacks. PFF designed a way using their data to measure if drops are more on the receiver, given that a majority of their targets are accurate and deemed to be catchable, or on the quarterback. You’ll see several Lions mentioned in this analysis.

• Pro Bowl voting update: The Lions have four players currently ranked in the top 10 at their position in fan voting.

You can vote for the Pro Bowl right here