clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

VIDEO: Watch Penei Sewell’s side of the draft night phone call

A look at the life-changing moment for Detroit’s first-round pick.

Detroit Lions — AP

By now, we’ve all seen the boisterous Detroit Lions war room after their first-round selection of Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell. Lions general manager Brad Holmes hugged just about everyone in sight, then nearly put his palm through a table in excitement.

On Saturday, Sewell painted a picture of what it looked like on his end in a one-on-one interview with WXYZ’s Brad Galli. Sewell told Galli he actually almost missed the call amidst all the excitement, but when he finally got on the phone with Holmes, the emotions kicked in.

“The moment I heard his voice, Brad, man, it hit me hard,” Sewell recalled. “It hit me incredibly hard. I will always remember that moment. And then the moment I hang up the call, I turned to hug my dad, hug my mom, and that moment right there is something I’ll always remember.”

Luckily, the cameras were rolling and caught Sewell’s life-changing call:

“You won’t regret it,” Sewell says, before his father explodes in excitement.

“LET’S GO!”

It’s not hard to see where Sewell’s explosive personality comes from.

Pride of Detroit Direct

Sign up now for a 7-day free trial of Pride of Detroit Direct, with exclusive updates from Jeremy Reisman on the ground at Allen Park, instant reactions after each game, and in-depth Lions analysis from film expert Jon Ledyard.