Chances are if you're a Dallas Cowboys fan, especially if you're from Texas, you know who Longhorns defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat is.
A humongous 6-4 nose tackle who weighed in at 366 pounds at the combine, Sweat poses a significant question for NFL teams interested in drafting him: Can he maintain a good enough playing weight?
“It is hard," Sweat told reporters at the Combine when asked about maintaining nutrition. "Guys like me can’t sit about for a week. You’ve got some guys that can sit around for a week and don’t gain weight. A guy like me can’t sit around."
Since losing Johnathan Hankins on free agency, the Cowboys seem to be all in on Mazi Smith making a huge second-year jump after an underwhelming rookie year where he was unable to maintain weight for a nose tackle.
With needs for depth at both nose and three-technique, there's been plenty of speculation regarding the Cowboys potentially taking an interior defensive lineman in days two or three of the 2024 NFL Draft, including Sweat himself.
It made sense to consider a huge run-stopper like Sweat when run defense was the team's biggest issue in 2023.
But at least according to Star Telegram's Cowboys beat writer Clarence Hill, the franchise believes Sweat is much too heavy.
Hill's post on Twitter/X came in response to draft expert Dane Brugler's comments on Sweat pushing 390 pounds during the College Football Playoffs.
"It went great," said Sweat about his formal meeting with the Cowboys back at the Combine.
Sweat's draft process hasn't gone as planned and it shows in the eyes of media analysts. Take Brugler for example: In February, he had the Texas product ranked 33rd in his big board, making him the third best DT of the class.
In his recently published draft guide, he has Sweat as his tenth best DT and outside of his overall Top 100. Weight concerns mixed in with a DWI weeks before the draft might make him an unattractive prospect for many teams around the league. Based on Hill's claim above, that might include the Cowboys, who have more pressing needs (and that might fit better with the value available) for the second and third round.
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