2024 NFL Draft preview: Scouting report on Texas defensive lineman T’Vondre Sweat

A closer look at one of the best defensive players in the draft.

Despite last year’s addition of Dre’Mont Jones, the interior of the defensive line is still an area that needs to be addressed for this Seattle Seahawks team. Jones had a bit of a disappointing season, but overall the interior of the d-line was extremely soft, as opposing teams were able to gash them in the running game consistently. Luckily for new head coach Mike Macdonald, this is a draft that has multiple Day 1 and 2 options for the IDL. Down below we are going to get into one of those potential options for the Seahawks in former Texas Longhorn T’Vondre Sweat.

---

Measurables – 6 foot 4 – 362 pounds

Games watched – 2023 Alabama, Iowa State, Washington, and Kansas

---

Strengths

• Biggest strength – Anchor in the run game

It is borderline impossible for an offensive line to move Sweat in the running game. This is in part because of his massive stature at 362 pounds, but also because Sweat displays a great mixture of balance, ability to gain leverage off of the snap, and his lower body strength. In response to this, teams would try to double Sweat to create natural running lanes but he was able to anchor down and at times defeat doubles entirely.

• In addition to being an anchor in the running game, Sweat is an extremely intelligent run defender. When facing a solo blocker, Sweat does a great job of getting his arms extended, keeping his eyes in the backfield and two gapping which enables him to clog two running lanes at once.
• Sweat has a great overall feel for the game, as he is able to consistently smell out screens and rollouts to his side.
• Against the pass, Sweat’s go to move is a quick swim which was able to generate a decent amount of pressure at the college level. As things stand it does grade as a good pass rush move, but it is not something that he is going to win with on a constant basis at the NFL level.
• Sweat does a great job of not giving up on the play when stood up in the passing game. He has extremely busy hands as he is always looking to replace them and swipe the blockers hands away in an attempt to beat them to either shoulder.

Weaknesses

• Biggest weakness – Lack of a true win with pass rush move – As discussed above, Sweat does have a good swim move, but he lacks that true move that he can rely on in obvious pass rushing scenarios. Additionally, he does not have many moves in his repertoire which heightens the concern of not having a go to move.
• Sweat does have a tendency to lean on blockers, especially when he has been on the field for multiple plays in a row. When he does this it nearly zaps his effectiveness as a blitzer, although he is still strong enough to make an impact in the running game in these scenarios.
• Because of his size, Sweat is a player who naturally fatigues a bit quicker, which does raise concerns about how often he is going to be able to be on the field. This is not a major red flag though as most bigger defensive lineman have this concern when coming out, such as Jordan Davis.

---

Floor/ceiling – Sweat’s entire ceiling as a player is attached to whether or not he can develop a go-to pass rush move. If he can, he has the chance to become a player who can get you six sacks a season paired with elite run defense, which gives him the ceiling of an impact 3-down defender. However, if he cannot develop one, Sweat is likely going to become a 2-down, obvious run situation defender who is going to get a second contract strictly because of his run defense.

---

Grade – 6.5 – Low end starter – Solid 2-down defender – Mid 2nd round pick

Grade explanation – I understand that there is a lot of first round buzz for Sweat and it has its merits. For a player of his size he is relatively athletic and he is an absolute menace in the running game. However, I struggle to give a player who I have concerns about as a pass rusher a first round grade in today’s pass happy league. No matter what though, Sweat is going to carve out a lengthy NFL career because of his impact in the run game which means his base grade and floor are effectively the same.

---

Schematic fit – If the Seahawks take Sweat he would be slotting right into the 0-1 tec spot in Mike Macdonald’s 3-4 scheme. There is a chance he plays as a 3-tec but I would expect for Macdonald to want to use him similarly to how he used Michael Pierce with the Baltimore Ravens.

---

Highlights