Detroit Lions’ Penei Sewell might have helped one of the top 2026 NFL Draft prospects without lifting a finger

The Lions’ star lineman is very similar physically to the likely first lineman selected in this year’s draft.

Craig Smith — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer
Add as preferred source on Google
Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell (58) yells out after warming up before the game against the Washington Commanders at Ford Field in Detroit, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2026 NFL Combine has come and gone, and now we know a little bit more about the top prospects, both from a measurement and athletic standpoint.

Regarding the former, some questions were answered about a number of prospects coming into the draft, and that includes Miami Hurricanes offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa. Most draft pundits have tabbed Mauigoa as the first offensive lineman selected in their mock drafts for the last several weeks.

However, some have questioned exactly where the Hurricanes’ star offensive lineman will most likely play in the NFL. His perceived arm length has been the source of some scrutiny coming into the Combine, with some saying that a move to guard is likely as a result.

Well, not so fast. As it turns out, Mauigoa compares very similarly to one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL in Detroit Lions star Penei Sewell.

Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa measured at the NFL Combine very similarly to Detroit Lions OT Penei Sewell

Mauigoa did not test at the NFL Combine. But when you’re considered by most to be a lock as a top ten pick and likely first overall offensive lineman, why risk dropping? His measurements came in at 6-foot-5 1/2, 329 pounds, 10 5/8-inch hand, and 33 1/4-inch arm length.


By way of comparison, Sewell’s measurements at his Pro Day at Oregon back in 2021 were 6-foot-4 7/8, 331 pounds, and 33 1/4-inch arm length.

Naturally, the arm length has been the topic of discussion for both offensive and defensive linemen, particularly with Mauigoa’s Miami teammate, edge rusher Rueben Bain, Jr. Bain measured under 31-inch arms at the Combine, which has been a perceived knock by some analysts as far as his draft stock.

But Mauigoa now has a strong physical comparison with Sewell, who has proven that 33 1/4-inch arms are long enough to be a very successful tackle in the NFL. Sewell has been one of the most dominant tackles in the league since he was drafted by the Lions with No. 7 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He’s earned four straight Pro Bowl nods and three straight first-team All-Pro selections.

And that’s only a good thing for Mauigoa, who, as a bulldozer of a run blocker, fits an NFL right tackle to a T beyond the arm length talk. He’s been the Hurricanes’ starting right tackle for the last three years, so it’s a position he’s comfortable with and has handled at an elite level. Top tackles also get paid more than top guards, so it would be to his personal advantage to remain there.

We’ll find out soon enough, with the draft less than two months away now, but the blueprint is there for Mauigoa to be a star tackle in the NFL. And that blueprint just happens to be the color Honolulu blue.

Related Articles