The Detroit Lions handed out two massive contracts last week, inking cornerstones Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell to long-term extensions to secure their future.
Both 2021 draft picks have grown into difference-making leaders for a Lions club on the rise.
Sewell, a captain and key cog on one of the best offensive lines in football, epitomizes a Lions club built through the draft. The right tackle's brand of toughness, power and attitude permeates the entire roster.
The Lions made one giant leap last year, wiping out 30-plus years of ineptitude to win their first NFC North division title, their first playoff win since the George H.W. Bush administration and make a run to the NFC Championship Game.
However, blowing a 17-point halftime lead to San Francisco knocked out a shot for Detroit to make its first-ever Super Bowl.
Overcoming that failure is Sewell's top goal after inking his new deal.
"We need it all," Sewell said on Monday, . "I had a conversation with (St. Brown) after we found out that we were getting the contracts and going to sign, that's our goal is to host that trophy at the end of the day and to just do that. Just to win, bro. There's nothing else to it. All those individual accolades don't mean nothing. I want the big boy and I want it now."
The Lions are currently favorites to retain their division crown and make another postseason run. However, with the rest of the NFC North improving, including the addition of first-round quarterbacks in Chicago and Minnesota, taking the next step up the NFL mountain is never a given.
