Penei Sewell is the best offensive tackle in football, and Pro Football Network’s top 100 for 2026 puts a hard number behind the claim. The Detroit Lions star landed fourth overall, the highest-ranked offensive lineman on the entire list.
That placement is not a reach. Sewell posted a 93.4 offensive line impact score in 2025, the top mark among all tackles in PFN’s metrics, and he has graded as a top-two tackle in the network’s database three straight years.
Penei Sewell Sits Alone Atop the NFL’s Offensive Tackle Rankings
PFN analyst Jacob Infante did not hesitate when he reached No. 1 on his Hot List breakdown.
“It’s [Penei] Sewell of the Detroit Lions, and honestly, would it be anybody else?” Infante said. “He’s been a top-two offensive tackle in our database for three years in a row.”
Sewell led all offensive linemen, not just tackles, in PFN’s impact score in both 2023 and 2025. The only player to edge him in 2024 was Philadelphia’s Jordan Mailata. Now comes the wrinkle that makes 2026 compelling. With Taylor Decker gone, Sewell moves from right tackle to left to protect Jared Goff’s blindside.
Infante sees no reason to expect a dip.
“When you have somebody who’s not just so physically dominant, but technically sound, he’s gonna be able to make that transition well,” Infante said, pointing to Tristan Wirfs as a recent example of a right tackle who thrived after the same move.
Behind Sewell, the list rewards proven veterans and one overdue name. Mailata came in third despite a resume that still lacks a Pro Bowl nod, his only honor a second-team All-Pro selection in 2024, the season he topped every tackle in PFN’s scoring. He has anchored Philadelphia’s left side since 2021 without the accolades to match.
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Andrew Thomas rounds out the group at No. 5, and his ranking carries a caveat. “The key with Thomas is just availability,” Infante said. The Giants tackle played 10 games in 2023, six in 2024 and 13 in 2025, never a full 17-game slate. “But when he plays, he’s really, really good.” Thomas finished fourth among tackles with an 86.4 impact score and heads into 2026 guarding second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Trent Williams and Garett Bolles Prove the Age Curve Is Negotiable
The most striking part of the list might be how old the middle of it runs. Trent Williams ranked fourth among Infante’s five, and the 49ers left tackle just turned 38.
“It’s crazy just how good Trent Williams still is,” Infante said. “He just turned 38 years old, and he’s shown no signs of slowing down.” Williams earned his 12th Pro Bowl nod and a second-team All-Pro selection in 2025, finishing sixth among tackles in impact score and third in run blocking, per PFN.
“Even now, in 2025, his 15th year in the NFL, he was still nothing short of phenomenal all season,” Infante said.
Garett Bolles landed second, and his arc mirrors Williams in miniature. The Broncos left tackle turned in the best season of his career at 33, earning his first Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors while anchoring a Denver line that reached the AFC Championship Game.
“If Trent Williams could keep going the way that he has going into 38, Garett Bolles might still have a lot of good football left ahead of him,” Infante said.
The through line is hard to miss. Elite tackle play does not expire on schedule, and the best of the bunch might only get better once he settles in on the blindside. Sewell at left tackle is a problem the rest of the NFC has not had to solve yet.
