Getty Taylor Decker on the field for the Lions in a 2022 game in Seattle.
The Detroit Lions maintain what analysts and players feel is one of the top offensive lines in the NFL heading into the 2022 season. A big reason why that could be the case is the play of several young players up front.
For Detroit, the team’s book-end tackles in Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell are a big reason for any current or future success the team will have. In this pair, Detroit seems to have two game-changers up front that are capable of not just pass protection, but pushing defenders around in the run game as well.
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How does this duo rate out against their NFL competition, though? Perhaps not in as completely elite fashion as many might anticipate. Recently, Pro Football Focus looked at ranking every offensive tackle in the NFL, and Detroit’s pair placed in the middle of the pack. Writer Ben Linsey had Sewell ranked 19th and in the “young tackles trending in the right direction” category. That could have been due mostly to him bouncing around early, though.
In terms of analysis for Sewell, with youth on his side, Linsey admits “another offseason with some positional continuity should only help him rise up these rankings as he enters his second season.”
As for Decker, he placed below Sewell 22nd overall in the “good starters” category. As Linsey wrote, “Decker may not be in the Pro Bowl conversation every year, but he is an important part of Detroit’s efforts to rebuild their roster through the trenches.”
These aren’t bad rankings for the Lions, and the team has done much worse through the years at the positions easily. In the future, both could be ranked higher if the Lions achieve a bigger level of success on the field with regards to wins and losses. It feels as if Decker should place a little bit higher given his ceiling, but that is largely nitpicking.
Overall, Detroit’s offensive line is trending upward heading into a new season as these ratings show.
Decker, Sewell Could Represent Keys for Lions’ Front
If the Lions want to take steps forward on offense, it seems safe to bet that the duo of Decker and Sewell will be called upon to bring a toughness and an edge to the field in 2022 from the start of the season to the finish. Last year, the Lions were robbed of seeing this duo do that to start the year given the health struggles of Decker playing out, which forced Sewell to play the left side of the line. He did so virtually flawlessly, given all the variables thrown his way as a rookie. Sewell even showed the kind of toughness needed to succeed in the NFL when he stared down Aaron Donald.
Both players not just playing a big role but playing well figure to be the key variable for the Lions in 2022. The team’s front needs to have an edge in order to play well, and each player is capable of delivering that edge in a big way.
Why Lions’ Offensive Line Can Be Tops in NFL for 2022
it might be a bold statement by many to proclaim Detroit’s group ready for dominance in the trenches, but it shows the confidence the Lions and others have to start the year, and with good reason. Detroit has a pair of solid tackles in Decker and Sewell, an elite center in Ragnow, a Pro Bowl guard in Jackson and a player who had a very strong bounce-back 2021 season in Halapoulivaati Vaitai. Along with the depth the team has found in the likes of Evan Brown, Ryan McCollum, Matt Nelson and Tommy Kraemer, there is no reason this can’t be the case almost immediately.
Detroit is taking on the look of a line that is hard to play against and has depth. A big reason for that will be the play of their tackles, and it will be important for each to have a solid season in 2022 in order for the team to begin to taste some success on the field.
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Source: Heavy
