2019 NFL Draft: Montez Sweat could be massive steal for Redskins

The Washington Redskins traded back into the first round of the NFL Draft to select Mississippi State edge rusher Montez Sweat, who could be the steal of the first round.

Concerns over a heart condition sent Mississippi State defensive end Montez Sweat’s draft stock plummeting toward the end of the first round, but the Washington Redskins jumped back into the end of the first round to select a potential difference maker off of the edge.

Here’s the details of the trade with the Colts:

Indianapolis receives: No. 46, 2020 2nd round pick

Washington receives: No. 26

A report surfaced today that Sweat’s heart condition may have been misdiagnosed, so all the concerns might have been for nothing.

Sweat is arguably a Top 10 overall talent in this draft class. He dominated the pre-draft process with a strong performance at the Senior Bowl and then with impressive workouts in Indianapolis for the combine.

There were concerns over Sweat’s ability as a run defender, but he seemed to put those to bed in Mobile as he looked even better as an edge setter than he did as a pass rusher. He looked like the best player at the Senior Bowl overall.

At the combine, the Mississippi State product turned a lot of heads when he measured in at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds and then ran a blazing 4.41 40-yard-dash. He might have the highest ceiling of any edge rusher in this class.

The concerns over Sweat stem from his motor at times running cold. He probably should have produced more in Starkville with his elite measurables. He finished with 12 sacks and 14.5 tackles-for-loss, but his production slipped down the stretch as the Bulldogs limped to the finish line.

It’s hard not to be impressed with Washington has done in the first round. They stood pat at No. 15 instead of moving up and still came away with Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, the player many had pegged as the top overall quarterback in the draft.

Adding Sweat only further bulks up an already budding, young front-seven. Sweat will join Jonathan Allen, Da’Ron Payne, and Ryan Kerrigan in a defensive front that will be tough to deal with as they look to compete for an NFC East crown sooner rather than later.

For the Colts the move makes sense as they now are armed with three second round picks in this year’s draft as well as two second round picks in 2020. It’s one of the rare trades that makes a lot of sense for both sides.

Grade: A