ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Penei Sewell admits to being a bit starstruck the first time he set foot in the Lions’ practice facility a few years ago. It was the day after he’d been selected seventh overall in the 2021 draft, and he was joined by his parents as he officially began his NFL career in Detroit.

Now, though, the Lions’ All-Pro right tackle is struck mostly by how much his life has changed since then. And last week, as Sewell walked through the doors to put pen to paper on a record-setting contract, it really hit him.

Because this time, he was the parent, joined by his fiancée, Isabelle, and their two young children, 17-month-old Malakai and his baby sister, Mila, who was born two weeks ago.

“It was a little different,” Sewell said Monday, flashing that big, wide grin of his, as he met with the media for the first time since signing a four-year extension that makes him the NFL’s highest-paid offensive lineman. “I had my parents (with me) when I got drafted, and we kinda walked through the building. Just starstruck looking at my locker, looking at the facility, looking at the indoor field.

“But now I’ve got two kids and it’s a blessing, man. Just to be able to share that with Malakai and my baby girl. Just kinda showing them a dream. It doesn’t have to be this one right here, but just showing them that a dream is possible and you are literally capable of doing anything you set your mind to. I hope I’m an example of that, and I try to do that every day.”

That this day arrived at all is something Sewell never would’ve imagined growing up in American Samoa, where he learned to play football on the beach with his brothers and cousins, using a plastic bottle filled with sand and water.

“It's a simple life out there,” said Sewell, who moved to Utah with his family when he was 11. “It's beautiful, but I always knew I wanted more.”

But all this? And this soon?

“Yeah, time has been flying, and I don’t like it,” he laughed. “Kinda makes me feel like I’m getting older, but I’m not. I’m still young and I’m going to ride that wave.”

Still, the 23-year-old Sewell took a moment Monday to reflect on all the changes the last few years have brought, both in his personal life and his professional one. It’s the same conversation he says he had with general manager Brad Holmes last Wednesday when they made this new deal official.

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