Detroit’s Emerging Young Offensive Lineman Determined to Follow the Blueprint of Lions Star Tackle and Leader Penei Sewell

In the city where grit meets greatness, there’s a quiet determination growing inside the mind of one of Detroit’s most promising young offensive linemen. For this aspiring blocker, the goal is as clear as it is ambitious—emulate Penei Sewell, the Detroit Lions’ All-Pro right tackle and one of the NFL’s most respected trench warriors. It’s more than a dream. It’s a mission built on footwork, film study, and ferocity.

Sewell, still just 24 years old, has become the gold standard for young linemen across the league—not just because of his technical mastery or overwhelming physicality, but because of the way he leads with his presence. His intensity is contagious. His resilience defines Detroit’s football resurgence. And for one young player coming up through the ranks in the Motor City, every snap, every rep, every drill is done with one goal: Be like Penei.

This young lineman—17-year-old Jameson “J.J.” Carter from Detroit’s East Side—has been making noise in high school football circles for the better part of two years. At 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds, he already boasts the size of a collegiate lineman. But it’s his attitude that makes coaches rave. Carter’s relentless work ethic and no-nonsense approach to improvement are eerily similar to what those around Sewell saw when he first arrived in Detroit from Oregon.

Carter’s coach at Eastern Tech, Marcus Delaney, has worked with several future Division I players in his time. But there’s something about J.J., he says, that stands apart.

“He doesn’t just want to be good,” Delaney explains. “He’s obsessed with being great. You walk into the weight room at 6 a.m.—he’s already there. You ask him what he’s doing over the weekend—he says he’s watching Lions tape. Not just any tape, either. Penei Sewell tape.”

Carter himself doesn’t shy away from his admiration for the Lions’ star. If anything, he leans into it with pride.

“I want to be everything he is,” Carter says. “The way he dominates, the way he sets the edge, the way he fires off the ball, that’s how I want to play. I study his hand placement, his first step, the way he recovers if he gets beat on a move. He doesn’t panic. He resets and wins the next rep. That’s the mindset I try to bring every game.”

He got his first chance to put that mindset to the test last season as a sophomore starter. Eastern Tech was in a rebuilding year, fielding a relatively inexperienced roster that often struggled against more seasoned competition. But Carter stood tall—literally and figuratively. He didn’t allow a single sack all season, and his pancake block highlight reel became local legend by midseason.

Still, Carter is the first to tell you his game is far from finished. He doesn’t yet have Sewell’s anchor strength or his uncanny ability to block in space. But what he lacks in polish, he makes up for with tenacity and an eagerness to learn.

“I know I’m not there yet,” Carter admits. “But I’ve got time. And I’ve got a blueprint. I’m lucky I get to watch Sewell every week. I don’t have to guess what greatness looks like. I see it every Sunday.”

Detroit has long been a city that appreciates offensive line play. From the days of Lomas Brown and Jeff Hartings to the modern dominance of Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow, the Lions have built a foundation on physicality up front. But Sewell has brought something different—an edge, a ferocity, a swagger that embodies everything head coach Dan Campbell has tried to build in his tenure.

“You can’t teach what Penei brings,” Campbell said last season. “It’s attitude, it’s presence. When he steps on the field, you feel it. And when he finishes a block, defenders feel it.”

That same edge is beginning to show in Carter. Opposing coaches have taken note, calling him the most physically dominant lineman in Detroit Public School League. But Carter doesn’t want to be known for just strength. He wants to be a technician, a craftsman in cleats.

And that’s where the Sewell influence becomes even more evident.

“He doesn’t just want to overpower people,” says Delaney. “He wants to understand leverage, timing, how to win with angles. That’s what makes Sewell great, and that’s what J.J. is chasing.”

The comparisons don’t end with on-field performance. Like Sewell, Carter is soft-spoken off the field but turns into a different person between the lines. He’s respectful, humble, and never one to seek the spotlight. But on game day? He’s a bully in the best sense of the word.

Recruiters are starting to take notice. Michigan, Michigan State, and Illinois have all expressed interest, with several SEC schools sending scouts this past spring. But Carter isn’t interested in offers for the sake of prestige.

“I want to go where I can keep growing,” he says. “Someplace that values offensive line play. Someplace like Detroit.”

The dream, of course, is to one day wear the Honolulu blue and silver himself.

“Putting on that Lions jersey? Man, that would mean everything,” Carter says, eyes lighting up. “To be able to block next to Sewell, or even just play for the same team—that’s the goal. That’s the mission.”

Until then, he’ll keep grinding. Film. Footwork. Fundamentals. Every day is another step toward emulating the man who redefined what a right tackle could be.

For now, Carter is content being a student. A disciple of dominance. But make no mistake—his time is coming. And when it does, don’t be surprised if Detroit has another offensive line phenom on the rise, molded in the image of one of the league’s very best.

As the city embraces its football rebirth behind stars like Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Aidan Hutchinson, and Sewell, it’s worth remembering that the next generation is already studying, learning, and preparing to carry the torch.

J.J. Carter is one of them. And if he keeps following the Penei Sewell blueprint with the same intensity he brings every day, don’t be surprised if one day soon, a young lineman says the same about him.

“I watch Carter’s tape,” the next wave might say. “I want to play like him.”

The cycle continues. The standard rises. And in Detroit, the trenches remain sacred.