The latest NFL Top 100 list delivered a head-scratcher for Detroit, and it landed squarely on Penei Sewell.
Sewell checked in at No. 37 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026, making him the second Lion to appear on this year’s list. For a player who has already built a reputation as one of the league’s premier offensive tackles, that is a steep fall. He dropped 24 spots from last year’s career-best No. 13, and it’s his lowest ranking since debuting on the list at No. 22 in 2024.
The league announced the ranking on August 4, 2026.
What makes the placement even harder to square is that Sewell’s play did not crater. Quite the opposite. While Detroit’s offensive line as a unit struggled, Sewell stayed at the center of everything the Lions wanted to do up front.
Pro Football Focus had him as the top-graded offensive tackle in football with a 95.1 overall grade. His 96.7 run-blocking grade also led all tackles.
In pass protection, he posted an 80.3 grade, which still ranked 11th at the position. Sewell’s work earned him his third straight First-Team All-Pro selection, and he was also a finalist for the inaugural Protector of the Year award.
The odd part is how much the voting seems to have been influenced by the larger Detroit line rather than Sewell himself. The NFL Top 100 is voted on by players late in the season, and it’s easy to see how a shaky unit can blur the picture for even the best individual performer. But Sewell remained the anchor while the rest of the line had a rough year, and that didn’t show up in his ranking the way it should have.
That’s why this one stands out. Big drops happen, even to star players - Lamar Jackson, for example, went from No. 2 in 2024 and 2025 to No. 69 this year.
Sewell’s case feels different, though. There was no major injury, no obvious collapse in his game, no real explanation for why his stock would tumble this far.
Detroit still has more names coming on the list, and Sewell may not even end up as the highest-ranked Lion. Last year, Jared Goff came in at No.
15, Amon-Ra St. Brown at No. 20, and Jahmyr Gibbs at No.
- None of those three had a notable drop in production from last season, and none were listed as honorable mentions, so all three should still be revealed in the weeks ahead.
Aidan Hutchinson is another candidate to land above Sewell. His comeback season brought his first Second-Team All-Pro honor and a top-five finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
For Sewell, the ranking should only add fuel as he starts his move to left tackle alongside a refreshed offensive line. Another First-Team All-Pro season, and the debate gets a lot simpler. Then next year’s top ten starts looking like the minimum, not the goal.
In Other News...
Kelvin Sheppards Terrion Arnold Comment Says Everything About This Lions Mess
Terrion Arnolds exit from Detroit has left the Lions dealing with more than a roster decision. The cornerback was released after legal issues surfaced, and the move sent a player once viewed as a promising piece of the defense out the door while the organization tried to steady itself around a situation no team wants hanging over a locker room.
Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppards recent comment on Arnold only sharpened the sense of what might have been. Sheppard said Arnolds talent was still untapped and then stopped there, a brief answer that said plenty about the players upside and the abrupt way this story ended. Arnold remains out on bond while waiting for court proceedings, and for Detroit, the football side of it is now tangled up with everything else. [Read more 🡒]
Lions WR3 Race Suddenly Feels Much Less Settled
Isaac TeSlaa looked like a player with momentum entering Lions training camp after a promising rookie season, but the early returns have been quieter than expected. The third receiver spot has become one of those jobs that can shift fast in camp, especially in Detroit, where Dan Campbell keeps hammering the idea that every role has to be earned and re-earned.
Cedrick Wilson is the veteran now drawing attention in that mix, with Campbell pointing to the skills he brings on offense and the value he adds on special teams. That kind of endorsement matters in a room where the Lions want competition to stay real, and it leaves the WR3 battle feeling far less settled than it did a few practices ago. [Read more 🡒]
Jahmyr Gibbs Just Gained Serious Leverage In Lions Extension Talks
Bijan Robinsons new deal in Atlanta just shifted the running back market in a way that matters in Detroit, where Jahmyr Gibbs is still waiting on his next contract. Robinsons extension gives the Lions another clear reference point as they work through what Gibbs should be worth after he became one of the leagues most dynamic offensive weapons. For a team that has built so much of its identity around explosive skill talent, the timing of this negotiation feels especially notable.
The Lions also have to balance whatever comes next for Gibbs against a cap picture that is already getting crowded with long-term money. Detroit has made no secret that keeping its core together will require careful planning, and that reality gives this conversation an extra layer of complexity. Gibbs has plenty of leverage at the moment, but the shape of the eventual deal may come down to how creatively the Lions can manage the rest of their books. [Read more 🡒]