Nephi

Sewell

Sewell was hurt after the Saints brought down a Baker Mayfield interception. He slipped on the field with a non-contact knee injury and was carted off. Sewell is in his second year as an undrafted free agent taking snaps at linebacker for the Saints.

A safety at Nevada, Sewell (5'11.5/226) played linebacker for the Utes, garnering Pac-12 All-Conference honors both years. Sewell is quite undersized for the linebacker position, and there’s not really much he can do to change that. Run defense will be a struggle in the NFL. Anytime a lineman or tight end gets their hands on him he is unlikely to break free, and he could even struggle to bring down the bigger backs in the NFL. That being said, Sewell has a jump start on most of his peers in coverage due to his history as a safety. His speed numbers help in that, testing above-average in the 40, the three cone, and the broad jump. Sewell can absolutely make it as a modern linebacker despite his size, using his smarts, his heart, and his coverage ability.

Sewell cited being homesick for a reason for his transfer -- he’s from St. George, Utah -- and now he’ll get a chance to be a part of the BYU defense. That won’t happen until 2020, as without a waiver, he’ll have to sit out the 2019 season. He was a big part of the Wolf Pack defense in his first two years of college, as the 5-foot-11, 205-pound Sewell had 108 tackles and two interceptions in that time frame. A good get for the Cougars, a big loss for Nevada.

Reversing course, here, as Sewell had initially committed to a BYU transfer back in mid-December. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound junior was a two-year starter with Nevada and registered 53 tackles (6.0 for loss) and an interception across 12 games played during the 2018 season. Sewell will be required to sit out the 2019 season in order to satisfy NCAA transfer regulations.