Detroit Lions OL coach: Penei Sewell 'reminds me a lot' of Hall of Famer Joe Thomas

Hank Fraley spent three seasons at the end of his 11-year career playing on the same offensive line as Hall of Fame left tackle Joe Thomas, and the Detroit Lions offensive line coach said Tuesday he sees a lot of similarities between Thomas and Lions right tackle Penei Sewell.

"He reminds me a lot of Joe Thomas, just how he prepares, how he takes care of himself, his mental mind makeup and going out there on that daily grind to become a good player or great player like Joe," Fraley said. "So that’s what I get to see, that daily competition within himself and with everybody else out here. It doesn’t stop."

Sewell earned first-team All-Pro honors at right tackle last season and signed a four-year, $112 million extension this spring that made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history.

Thomas, who once held the title as the NFL's highest-paid lineman, was a six-time first-team All-Pro with the Cleveland Browns who played more than 10,000 consecutive snaps in his career and did not miss a game until his final season in 2017.

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Thomas was a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection, and while Fraley stopped short of predicting Sewell would one day wear a gold jacket, he said the Lions' captain has not changed since signing his extension this offseason.

"It definitely didn’t change him in the bad way," Fraley said. "The great thing about himself, he stays grounded and humbled. He definitely earned it. I’m so happy for him and his family for that, but he’s still hungry as he was before he got that contract. Even out here, I get to see him daily on a daily basis work, and he just continues to work. It’s fun to watch him and Hutch (Aidan Hutchinson) go vs. each other all the time, even in underwear, cause they’re making each other better. But he’s always grinding himself, trying to get better."

This offseason, Fraley said Sewell has taken on more of a leadership role, including helping second-year lineman Colby Sorsdal in his transition to right tackle.

Sorsdal played tackle in college, but spent most of his rookie season at guard.

The Lions held left tackle Taylor Decker out of offseason workouts this spring after foot and ankle surgery. Sewell played some left tackle in mandatory minicamp, but spent most of the spring at right tackle, with Sorsdal playing with the second team.

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Sewell, who allowed four sacks last season according to the Free Press' charting of plays, has said at various points throughout his first three seasons in Detroit that he wants to go down as the best lineman in NFL history.

Fraley said Sewell's upside remains enormous given his age and talent level.

"You got to prove yourself every day," Fraley said. "It’s what have you done for me lately here. Like it’s not, 'Well, I did that in the past.' So every day, I’m proving not only to myself but to everybody I still can be one of the best, and that’s where he’s going. Not settling for just being good. I think that’s challenging him and himself. Good’s not always good enough, so you got to continue to challenge you and he has the ability to become one of these really good players."

Safety spotlight

While the Lions excused veterans from the final week of organized team activities, safety Kerby Joseph stayed in town for Tuesday's practice.

Joseph, who declined an interview request coming off the field, took part in some individual drills and the pre-practice installation period, his most extensive work of the spring after undergoing offseason hip surgery.

Joseph led the Lions with four interceptions each of the past two seasons, though he'll compete for a starting job this fall with Ifeatu Melifonwu and Brian Branch. Branch, who sat out spring workouts following his own offseason surgery, played primarily as a slot cornerback last season but the Lions envision him playing more safety in 2024.

“I think last year they were a little more hesitant with BB to just kind of fix him at one spot, whereas now that he’s going into Year 2, I think we’ll be more aggressive with him," safeties coach Jim O'Neil said. "He’s the type of player you want to see out there on all three downs, so we’re going to push him to that but at the end of the day he’s still got to come out in training camp and he’s got to take that job."

If Branch wins a safety job, that would allow Amik Robertson and rookie second-round pick Ennis Rakestraw Jr. to play slot cornerback.

O'Neil said Branch has the potential to be a "really good" safety.

"I think he can be one of the better ones in the league," O'Neil said. "Coming off the rookie campaign that he just had, some of the things he did coverage-wise, some of the things he did run fit-wise, blitz-wise, I’m excited about him. I’m really excited about him."

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.