Penei Sewell Inspired New Draft Pick, Ready to Give Back

Sewell motivated to help Lions reach new heights in 2024.

Oct 15, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA;Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell (58) prior to the game. / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Giovanni Manu played his college ball in Canada and was a relatively unknown player until late in the NFL Draft process.

The Lions caught wind of a workout he conducted, and they liked what they saw so much that they wound up trading up to land him in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Manu's story is an interesting one. Though he didn't have the acclaim of Lions' franchise tackle Penei Sewell, who recently inked a four-year, $112 million contract extension to remain in Detroit through 2029, he came from a similar background having grown up in Tonga.

As a result, the rookie admitted that he looks up to Sewell as he looks to begin his NFL journey.

“Yeah, I look up to Penei a lot," Manu told local reporters after being drafted. "I do study a lot of his film. I think he’s the best tackle in the League right now. He moves so fluid for how big he is and not just that, but he’s an inspiration to the Polynesian community. I remember when I was in college, I watched his Draft Day process, and it was just basically a vlog of his whole day of being drafted.

"I remember he ended the vlog by saying, ‘Any Polynesian kids out there,’ and he named all the islands and I remember he said Tonga. He said, ‘If you kids out there want to make it to the NFL, you can truly make it if you put your mind to it.’ And I remember I was in my second year of college when he said that, and I remember him saying that. It really motivated me, and I told myself, ‘If one of my fellow Polynesian brothers can make it, which is him – and he’s giving me words of motivation, there’s no reason why I can’t do it either.’ So, he’s a true inspiration, not only to Samoa, but to the whole Polynesian community. And it’s great that I’ll be playing with a guy like that, and I just hope to soak up as much information and technique from him.”

At his recent press conference, Sewell expressed appreciation for those who look up to him. In three NFL seasons, he has wasted little time becoming one of the best at his position across the entire league.

With that, he now bears a responsibility to give back to those who try to emulate his journey from the Polynesian Islands to the NFL.

The veteran offensive lineman admitted that he has not yet met Manu, but did follow the rookie on social media. He looks forward to mentoring the young player.

“It means a lot. (I was) having a conversation with my wife the other day of how kinda the roles switch," Sewell said. "How I kind of looked up to players and I tried to do things a certain way, how they would do it. Now, where I’m at today and seeing all these players look up to me, it’s a responsibility that I won’t take lightly. I promise I’ll give back, it’s in my nature. To see players talk so highly of me, I have to do that. And I can’t wait to go to work with those guys, and I’m pretty sure they’re great guys.” 

Extension happened quickly

Sewell was in a unique position from a contract perspective given the fact that his rookie contract includes a fifth-year option. Because of this, the Lions had the option of delaying his extension conversations for the offseason.

Yet, Sewell explained that the organization wasted little time getting a deal done. After getting married in California, the Oregon product returned to Detroit where the negotiations took off and ultimately ended on the day before the Draft.

“After that, we came back to Detroit. Literally, it went from, ‘Hey, this could happen in a couple months,’ to ‘Hey, couple weeks.’ Then I get a call, I actually got a text at like 3 a.m., he goes, ‘Hey, we might get this done tomorrow.’ I’m like, ‘Wait, I’ve got to call my parents.’ I gotta let them know. It happened so fast, and I’m thankful for them for believing me and just can’t wait to give it back.”  

'Let it burn'

Sewell is motivated to help Detroit reach its ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl.

The Lions tasted the highest levels of success last season, but ultimately came up short in a heartbreaking NFC Championship loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Sewell said he's watched the tape of that game around 10 times and plans to use it as fuel moving forward as the Lions look to get over that hump and reach the top in 2024.

"Sensitive topic. Man, I honestly watch that game a lot. I let it burn just because (of) how close we were. But yeah, I watched it a lot. Not only from that standpoint, but just trying to get better also and seeing what went wrong and what we can work on. So yeah, I say this all the time, it's on. Simple as that."

Notes

The Lions invited Grand Valley State quarterback Cade Peterson to rookie minicamp. Peterson started at GVSU for three seasons, throwing for 7,231 yards and 67 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,686 yards and 21 scores. He was the 2023 GLIAC Offensive Player of The Year.