2024 Atlanta Falcons Potential Draft Pick Profile: DL T'Vondre Sweat

The Atlanta Falcons switching to a 3-4 defense seems awesome in theory, but they need to add a true nose tackle and one of the best fits in the draft is T'vondre Sweat out of Texas. He might be more of a 3-technique tackle in college, but as a pro, his best fit is attacking A-gaps and potentially even two-gapping up front against centers head-to-head. This could be the perfect situation for both Sweat and the Falcons to get the most out of each other.

T'Vondre Sweat

University of Texas

Defensive Lineman

Athletic Comparison and Numbers

Grover Stewart has had a nice career as a 1-technique defensive tackle pounding the A-gaps of offenses throughout his career so far. T'Vondre Sweat profiles as a very similar guy athletically and should be a successful player, but he may not be a guy who can play more than 40 percent of the snaps if he's carrying all that weight all the time. There are real questions about the former Longhorn's weight, and it's almost scary how big he is with how powerful and quick he is, too.

Stats and Awards

2023: 14 Games Played, 45 Tackles, 8.0 Tackles for Loss, 2.0 Sacks, 7 QB Hurries, 4 Pass Deflections, 1 Blocked Kick, 1 Carry, 2 yards, 1 Touchdown, Outland Trophy Award Winner, First-Team All-American, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award Semi-Finalist, Bednarik Award Semi-Finalist, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-Big 12,
2022: 13 Games Played, 30 Tackles, 2.5 Tackles for Loss, 7 QB Hurries, 4 Pass Deflections, Honorable Mention All-Big 12
2021: 12 Games Played, 22 Tackles, 2.0 Tackles for Loss, 1.0 Sack, 3 Pass Deflections
2020: 10 Games Played, 22 Tackles, 4.0 Tackles for Loss, 1.0 Sack, 1 QB Hurry, 1 Fumble Forced, 1 Pass Deflection
2019: 13 Games Played, 9 Tackles, 1.0 Tackle for Loss, 1.0 Sack, 1 Fumble Recovered, 2 Pass Deflections

Interview with T'Vondre Sweat

Scouting Report

Strengths

T'Vondre Sweat is a prototype in terms of what teams would look for at nose tackle. He's got a massive body and can eat blockers. He's extremely powerful and can drive blockers back into the quarterback. He commands double teams and was highly productive for his role when he was in college. He has a great set of moves including a club and a bull rush that will force teams to focus on him in pass protection. Because of this, he helps the rest of his team get to the quarterback or have cleaner paths to the ball carriers in the run game.

Weaknesses

The biggest weakness in Sweat's game is all about his get off from the line. He's too slow off the snap at times and tries to fake out blockers instead of driving right through them. He only has phone booth quickness and needs to use his power more right off the snap. With his kind of weight and strength, he should be bodying almost every interior offensive lineman he goes against in the NFL. Sweat will have to increase his functional strength, get some of the weight off and improve his quickness.

Intangibles & Off-Field Red Flags

"The period between the combine and draft is often a test for prospects, and Sweat's arrest this close to the draft limits the time he has to explain the incident to teams and assuage concerns. Because of that -- and concerns over his playing weight at 366 pounds -- most teams I've spoken to believe he's a Day 3 selection."

- ESPN's Matt Miller

Matt Miller from ESPN went over some questions about T'Vondre Sweat. The weight issue is something that has hurt other prospects in the past and definitely could be something that shows just how hard Sweat works off the field. A driving under the influence arrest is not acceptable for a lot of teams this close to the draft. If his off-field concerns drop him until day three, he could easily be a steal for an NFL team. But he'll have to do his part addressing his issues before teams will draft him.

NFL Stylistic Comparison: Ted Washington

Much like Ted Washington, T'Vondre Sweat is a great example of the planet theory. The planet theory states that there's only so many players the size of planets on this planet. Washington was one of them. He won on size alone, but much like Washington, there's concerns long-term about the weight that Sweat holds on his frame and whether he can trim down and maintain a healthier weight while he's in the league. Being huge is one thing, but technique and quickness adds from weight loss would be helpful for Sweat if he wants to be more like Dontari Poe than Washington.

How does he fit in with the Atlanta Falcons

T'Vondre Sweat will likely be available on early day three because not a ton of teams run a scheme that fit him. Nor will teams love that during the draft process that he had a driving under the influence arrest. Talent will win out for him in the end, but he won't be a guy who plays more than 30-40 percent of the snaps on defense. He'll definitely have his uses—especially in Atlanta. Atlanta would use him as a nose tackle in base sets to help rotate with Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata and keep them fresh.

All advanced stats are courtesy Pro Football Focus or Football Outsiders. All traditional stats are courtesy of official team websites, NFLGSIS or CFB Stats. All RAS and athletic testing numbers are courtesy of DraftScout.com and Kent Lee Platte's RAS Football website.