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Noah Sewell: 6’3”, 250 pounds.
Noah Sewell is the younger brother of the Detroit Lions' top-ten pick and starting right tackle Penei Sewell.
Noah was behind only Oregon-running mate Justin Flowe as the number two linebacker in the 2020 class and thanks to the COVID-exception, was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection as a redshirt freshman already. This was when he put up 114 total tackles, 8.5 of them for loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, an interception and five passes broken up.
This past season, with two fewer games played, his tackling numbers were all basically cut in half, while once again having one pick and four PBUs. Because of that he went down to second-team all-conference.
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Noah Sewell scout report: Strengths
+ Noah Sewell looks like a Greek god in his pads and makes his presence felt on the field.
+ Delivers some serious thump in the hole and drives ball-carriers backwards. Also has the speed to flatten to the sideline and bang guys out of bounds for minimal gains. You see him make some tackles on toss plays away from him as the backside linebacker.
+ Sewell doesn’t shy away at all from crashing into guards and creating an angle towards the ball for himself when it’s initially taken away. He’s very active with his hands to work off those blocks.
+ Regularly creates stalemates with offensive linemen and doesn’t get driven off the spot.
+ Asking a tight-end to peel back on him creates a legit mismatch and he typically rocks them at contact.
+ I thought in 2022 his ability to weaponize his hands improved and you saw him work with extension through and off blocks against offensive linemen.
+ He’s just so naturally strong as a tackler. Guys spin off the hit or seem to be able to churn for yards after contact, but Sewell can somehow twist/lasso them to the ground.
+ Frequently makes sure the pile is moving backwards as he arrives there late.
+ Shows plus instincts in coverage already, to layer in-between routes, take one guy away and then fall off to get hands on the ball. He had a great pick against Utah in the 2021 Pac-12 Championship game against a double-slant concept.
+ You like what he can bring widening in his drops and taking away inside access for targets out of the slot. Then he can kind of stick his foot in the ground and drive down on backs releasing out late almost like a DB.
+ Sending receivers down the seams against Sewell sinking, he’ll make sure they’re taken off track when he gets his hands on them.
+ When asked out to pick up guys out of the backfield, Sewell typically meets them at the line of scrimmage, knocks them off balance and is fast enough to stick with them.
+ Lining up on the edge, he has enough speed to peel off and not allow backs to get a step on him on swings/wheels quickly.
+ You can rush this guy from different angles. His acceleration and the force he can build up to run through the reach of linemen sliding over late (or running backs trying to sit down on him) can quickly force quarterbacks off schedule.
+ Legitimately lined up on the edge and gave tackles trouble with his speed and ability turn the corner for the Ducks.
+ Had an absurd win-rate of 31.2% on his pass-rush reps in 2021 and he was still at a more than respectable 22.2% this in ‘22.
Noah Sewell scout report: Weaknesses
– While part of it is being a young player, Noah Sewell could certainly be a step quicker and pick up on keys more instantly, such as following a pulling guard.
– Gets his eyes trapped in the backfield and sort of just waits until he can see the ball whilst being engaged with blockers.
– You see some of the same in coverage at times, where he’s just a step late, along with locking his eyes in on the quarterback too much.
– When pinned inside on toss and screen plays outside of him, he has to be a little quicker to recognize that and work over the top of those blocks. Tracking ball-carriers out wide, he tends to get his shoulders turned and occasionally overrun plays.
– His lateral agility is a major question mark and it probably won’t allow his future coaches to deploy him in any sort of extended man-coverage.
Noah Sewell scout report: Grade
Noah Sewell was a rough evaluation coming out of the summer, but I think he may end up being a first-round pick. I thought he lost some pep to his step in 2022, he didn’t show really signs of development in terms of reading run schemes and he was a step late in making an impact in coverage with more regularity.
With that being said, it is rare to find a guy this large and fast at the linebacker spot and what gives me hope that NFL coaches may figure out how to use him is the tremendous productivity as a pass-rusher.
He’s obviously not at that type of level in terms of athleticism, but I could see him make sort of a Micah Parsons transition, to becoming a full-time EDGE at the next level.
Grade: Fourth round.
You might like other 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Reports: Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa, Drew Sanders, LB, Arkansas, Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson, Daiyan Henley, LB, Washington State, Henry To'o To'o, LB, Alabama, DeMarvion Overshown, LB, Texas, Ivan Pace Jr., LB, Cincinnati, Dorian Williams, LB, Tulane, Jeremy Banks, LB, Tennessee.
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