In a deep NFL draft class brimming with talented defensive ends, Montez Sweat stands out among his peers. His talent and maturity give credibility to the hype surrounding the potential top-five pick.
Montez Sweat’s career wasn’t always as promising as it appears to be now.
“My time at Michigan State, I was definitely just, I started off kind of young and immature,” Sweat told The Detroit News at the 2019 NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Sweat arrived at Michigan State for his freshman season as a 17-year-old, three-star recruit from Georgia. It didn’t take long before a bad decision precipitated by his immaturity threatened Sweat’s football career.
After a mere two games into his first season with the Spartans, Sweat was indefinitely suspended by head coach Mark Dantonio for violating team rules. Sweat was eventually dismissed from the program the following spring.
Sweat declined to discuss the details of his dismissal at the combine, but a former teammate shared that the incident involved marijuana. Additionally, he was accused of stealing a bike, though Sweat says the situation was a misunderstanding.
As is the case in the lives of many young people, difficulty and mistakes lead to an accelerated maturation process. Former Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen could not have been any more complimentary:
"“When I was around him, he had a tremendous work ethic for the young guys. I think he also got to come into a program that was pretty established. There was a certain standard and a certain level you were expected to go work at. There were some veteran players and they had a pretty veteran team and some veteran players that he walked in to. The bar was set extremely high where you have to go work it every day.”"
Thankfully for Sweat and his football career, maturity has indeed filtered into and permeated his character.
Sweat didn’t just develop; he evolved into a quarterback-hunting menace. “I am not scared to compete,” Sweat told ESPN. “It’s in my nature since I grew up. If you beat me in a game, I always had to run it back. Any opportunity to go out there and compete, I am going to take it because I want to showcase my talent.”
Sweat’s competitive nature motivated him to become the lean-and-mean prototypical edge rusher that NFL scouts are now drooling over — 6-foot-6, 260-pounds, 5.9 percent body fat. Sweat also ran the fastest 40-yard dash time ever by a defensive lineman at the combine: a ridiculous 4.41.
In 26 games at Mississippi State, Sweat recorded 22.5 sacks and 30 tackles for loss on his way to earning a spot on the 2018 First-Team All-SEC and First-Team All-American rosters.
Indeed, Sweat traversed an unlikely journey in order to earn the truck-load of well-deserved hype he’s currently enjoying.
Strengths
Tall, strong and explosive, Sweat possesses almost every desired trait teams look for in an elite NFL defensive lineman. His unrivaled speed will allow Sweat to live in the opponents’ backfield as he did in college. Sweat rarely needed to show off any rush moves as he instead shot around tackles on his way to the quarterback. However, Sweat has flashed several moves and has been working this offseason to add further weapons to his repertoire.
What makes Sweat so dominant is his reliable tackling after he’s used his freakish athleticism to find the ball. His long, strong arms allow him to set the defensive perimeter quickly and get his hands on any ball carrier trying to turn the corner. The extra pounds of muscle Sweat added in the past few months and his ability to quickly diagnose plays and fill gaps will only help him gobble up more tackles at the next level.
Perhaps Sweats greatest characteristic, though, is his non-stop motor. On the rare plays when he isn’t the first man to the ball carrier, Sweat continues to hustle to the action and contribute to gang tackles or clean up a teammates’ mess.
Weaknesses
The only glaring deficiency in Sweat’s game is his flexibility. Leverage and flexibility are major components of beating an offensive tackle – either on a first or counter move. Because of his height, Sweat has a high center of gravity which disallows him from sneaking under the shoulders of offensive linemen.
Sweat’s lack of flexibility leads to him taking very wide angles while pursuing the quarterback, which opens escape lanes for scrambling quarterbacks or running backs on draw plays.
Draft Expectations
Sweat became the latest player to benefits from an outstanding combine performance, but he also owns the game tape to back up his athleticism. As the NFL continues down the passing-revolution-road, pass rushers will demand a premium draft position. Sweat perfectly fits the mold of a dominant pass rusher who can be moved all over the field. Expect Nick Bosa to be the only defensive lineman drafted before Sweat.
Projection: Sweat is a lock to be drafted in the top ten, maybe even the top five.