2019 NFL Draft: Projected First Round after NFL Combine
DE/OLB. Mississippi State . Montez Sweat. 5. player. 48.
One of the combine’s biggest winners, adding to his outstanding showing at the Senior Bowl in January, was Mississippi State edge rusher Montez Sweat. The early first round hype started building in Mobile, and after his measurements and performance in on-field drills, I don’t think there’s any way that Sweat gets outside of the Top 10.
Sweat ran the fastest 40-time ever by a defensive lineman in the history of the combine with a blazing 4.41. He also measured in with a ridiculous wingspan; Sweat has all the physical tools to be an elite pass rusher at the next level.
The one question is why didn’t his production always match his raw talent during his time in Starkville? He had a good senior season with the Bulldogs, putting up 14.5 tackles-for-loss and 12 sacks, but his production really tailed off down the stretch of the season, calling into question his motor.
Regardless, his potential is sky-high and he will be picked very early in the first round come April.
An edge-rusher isn’t Tampa Bay’s biggest need; it wouldn’t surprise me if they targeted a trade down from this selection so they could draft an offensive lineman. I don’t think there’s one on the board, however, to spend a top five selection on.
An edge rusher would be a boost, though, as the only player on the Buccaneers’ roster who has a proven ability to get after the quarterback is Jason Pierre-Paul. The veteran pass rusher led the team with 12.5 sacks in 2018, but he’s also now on the wrong side of 30. He probably only has a few more years of high-level production in him.