New York Giants Draft Prospect: IDL T'Vondre Sweat

T'Vondre Sweat made his name in a big way at the Senior Bowl as his draft stock rises.

T’Vondre Sweat, IDL

Height: 6’4
Weight: 362 lbs.
Class: Senior
School: Texas
Stats

A former three-star recruit out of Huntsville, Texas, where he attended Huntsville High School and was the 48th Texan and the 27th defensive tackle prospect during the 2019 cycle.

Sweat had 31 pressures in 2023, 22 in 2022, and 16 through his previous three seasons. He had 1,858 career defensive snaps. He played in 62 games with 18 starts through five seasons, and he was the winner of the 2023 Outland Trophy while earning a spot as a unanimous All-American last season - the fifth Texas Longhorn to be unanimously selected as an All-American. He was also the Big-12 Defensive Player of the Year.

Sweat had offseason shoulder surgery in 2021 that forced him to miss some spring practice. He was ready for the 2022 season, where he really started to shine. He attended the Reese’s Senior Bowl but did not weigh in at the event, which caused some concern.

Strengths

• Rare size - may, or not, be bigger than Mt. Everest
• Looks the part with a completely filled-out frame
• Solid foot quickness and agility for his size
• Solid athlete for his size who has more bend than one would imagine
• Elite play strength at the point of attack
• Great hand and extension ability to excel as a one-gap defender
• Can two-gap, due to base, ability to absorb contact, and his eyes to locate the ball carrier
• Wide - strong - base with excellent upper body strength to shed
• Double teams struggle to uproot him - cemented into the deck
• Keeps hands active and always moving
• Flashed swim moves and rip when he gets to the half-man
• Good bull-rush and excellent overall power
• Heavy force behind his rushes, even when they look lumbering
• Solid overall pass rusher
• Relentless motor - won’t give up even though he’s huge

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Weaknesses

• Was noticeably marginal at timing the snap
• Not the most explosive player
• Difficult for him to decelerate and change direction on misdirection/rollout
• Gets high out of his stance
• Struggled with fatigue issues - conditioning is a problem
• Hand timing is inconsistent
• Although active, his hands too often lack a purpose; it appears he uses his strength to engage and his hands figure it out if the first move doesn’t land
• Could certainly refine his pass rushing plan and his execution
• May have weight management issues - did not weigh in at the Senior Bowl

There's only so much you can do to slow down 360+ pounds.

T'Vondre Sweat is inevitable when he wants to be. pic.twitter.com/oWTi3pvjUj

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 31, 2024

Summary

Sweat is a gigantic man who is excellent in the trenches as a run defender with some upside as a pass rusher. His power rush moves and ability to keep his hands active work in his favor, but he lacks a plan, counter moves, and explosiveness, and he fatigues quickly. 

Sweat is bigger than Dexter Lawrence, but watching Sweat made me appreciate Lawrence, who rarely gets tired and is a much more complete version of Sweat. Still, Sweat is a competitively tough player who will be plugged into a defense on early downs, with the upside to develop into a quality NFL pass rusher who will see the field on all three downs. 

Players with his size, balance, and movement ability are rare, but he become more refined and fit to maximize his game and playing time.

GRADE: 6.32

Nick Falato

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