T’Vondre Sweat

Titans Sign DT T’Vondre Sweat, Complete Rookie Signings

June 4th, 2024 at 5:44pm CST by Ben Levine

The Titans have officially signed their entire draft class. The team announced today that they’ve inked second-round defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat to his four-year rookie contract.

Sweat gradually took on a larger role during his time at Texas, culminating in a 2023 campaign where he earned the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award, a unanimous All-American nod, and the Outland Trophy, awarded to the best college interior defensive lineman. That performance (which included eight tackles for loss and two sacks) played a role in him being the fourth defensive tackle off the board during the 2024 draft.

Chosen 38th overall, Sweat will see his rookie deal almost entirely guaranteed. Sweat’s first three seasons are locked in at signing, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, who indicates the Texas DT also received $472K of his 2027 base salary guaranteed. This is well north of the 2023 No. 38 pick’s Year 4 guarantee; Falcons O-lineman Matthew Bergeron received $10K of his final-year salary locked in. Sweat’s deal continues the run of success this year’s second-rounders are having with guarantees.

The Titans lost some defensive line depth this offseason in Denico Autry and Teair Tart, so the rookie should have plenty of opportunities for a significant role. He’s currently penciled in as the team’s starting nose tackle ahead of the likes of Keondre Coburn, Marlon Davidson, and Quinton Bohanna.

Sweat was the final member of Tennessee’s 2024 draft class to ink a rookie pact. The rest of the team’s draft class includes:

Round 1, No. 7: JC Latham (T, Alabama) (signed)
Round 4, No. 106: Cedric Gray (LB, North Carolina) (signed)
Round 5, No. 146 (from Vikings through Eagles): Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (CB, Louisville) (signed)
Round 6, No. 182 (reacquired through Eagles): Jha’Quan Jackson (WR, Tulane) (signed)
Round 7, No. 242 (from Eagles): James Williams (S, Miami) (signed)
Round 7, No. 252 (from Chiefs): Jaylen Harrell (EDGE, Michigan) (signed)

Draft Rumors: Williams, Bears, Fashanu, Latham, Bolts, Bowers, Seahawks, Murphy

April 25th, 2024 at 3:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Pass rusher and wide receiver have been mentioned most often as the Bears‘ targets at No. 9 overall. Though, the player who will almost definitely be chosen at No. 1 (Caleb Williams) in a few hours seems to have Chicago’s D-line ranked outside the top two among his positional priorities here.

“I’d probably go Olu Fashanu because I know he’d put his life on the line for me, protecting me,” Williams said, via Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith. “Then I’d go one of the top three wide receivers.”

A Penn State-developed tackle, Fashanu played high school football (at Gonzaga College HS in Washington D.C.) with Williams. That makes it unsurprising the 2022 Heisman winner would stump for his old teammate. The Bears are believed to have a tackle addition on their radar for No. 9, with GM Ryan Poles splitting his staff into pods debating the merits of taking a tackle, edge rusher or wide receiver with that pick. Chicago looks to have done more work on wideouts and pass rushers, being linked to adding a weapon — potentially Rome Odunze or tight end Brock Bowers — for Williams. The team has Braxton Jones and 2023 No. 10 overall pick Darnell Wright at tackle. Fashanu grades 15th on Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board.

Hours away from Williams starting this draft, here is the latest:

Confirming a previous view around the league, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones indicates teams wanting Bowers will need to hold a top-10 pick. By far the top tight end in this class, the Georgia product appears unlikely to make it past the Jets at No. 10. The Chargers (No. 5), Bears (No. 9) and Jets met with the three-year Bulldogs receiving leader. The Giants not going quarterback in Round 1 would seemingly point them to a wideout, but Darren Waller‘s retirement call is not believed to have emerged. Sitting at 15, the Colts are also believed to be interested in Bowers.
JC Latham sits 18th on Jeremiah’s big board, but the Alabama tackle may go off the board much earlier. He could be in play for the Chargers at No. 5, with ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan offering that the draft’s run on tackles may begin with the ex-Crimson Tide RT. This would be a surprise, given Joe Alt‘s pedigree (and the Chargers’ reported interest in the two-time All-American). But many teams see Alt as a left tackle. Clubs regularly make switches up front, but if the Bolts — also believed to be Latham fans, potentially in a trade-down scenario — view the two blockers’ values as close, the player with right-side experience could win out. Latham started the past two seasons for Alabama at right tackle. A Chargers first-round tackle investment would be to replace Trey Pipkins, not Rashawn Slater, potentially strengthening Latham’s case for a rookie contract in the No. 5 slot.
Mentioned as a team that scheduled a visit with Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy, the Seahawks did not end up hosting the high-end prospect, per ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson. Murphy falling to 16 may now be unlikely, with rumors he could — as this DT class is not viewed as deep — land inside the top 10 circulating. The Seahawks did visit with Murphy Longhorns DT mate T’Vondre Sweat, per Henderson, who adds the team would have considered Jalen Carter at No. 20 last year but not with their top choice (No. 5). The then-Pete Carroll-led team, which was split on Carter before the 2023 draft, chose Devon Witherspoon. Carter went 10th to the Eagles.
In play to become the fourth receiver drafted this year, LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. may instead see some injury concerns lead to a slight drop. NFL medical staffs have flagged Thomas’ shoulders, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, who notes the Tigers’ No. 2 wideout last year may need surgery on his left shoulder after his rookie year. Jeremiah rates Thomas as this class’ No. 4 wideout (17th overall) after an 1,177-yard, 17-touchdown 2023 showing. LSU is still expected to see he and Malik Nabers become first-rounders tonight.

Draft Notes: Sweat, Seahawks, Titans, Bears, Patriots, Packers, Mims, Eagles, Broncos

April 9th, 2024 at 10:06am CST by Sam Robinson

Ranked as the No. 3 defensive tackle on Mel Kiper Jr.’s ESPN.com big board, T’Vondre Sweat has an off-field issue to navigate ahead of the draft. The Texas alum was arrested on a DWI charge over the weekend. Sweat was involved a two-car accident, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg, who indicates the DT’s SUV collided with a sedan shortly before 5am on Sunday. The Seahawks and Titans are among the teams performing some due diligence on Sweat, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero indicating the ex-Longhorns D-lineman met with the Titans on Monday and will fly to Seattle for a “30” visit later this week. Sweat posted a $3K bond following his arrest.

Here is the latest from the draft ranks:

Widely expected to begin the draft by taking Caleb Williams first overall, the Bears still hold another top-10 pick. Pertaining to the latter draft slot, the team is hosting Alabama tackle JC Latham on a two-day visit that runs through Tuesday, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. Latham has already met with the Cardinals and Titans. One of this draft’s supply of intriguing tackle prospects, Latham is on track to be a first-round pick. Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board ranks the first-team All-SEC blocker 18th overall, while ESPN slots him 12th. The Bears have Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright, their 2023 first-round pick, as their starting tackles. A recent report indicated Chicago is unlikely to trade its No. 9 pick.
Another of the Round 1-level tackle prospects in this draft pool, Tyler Guyton visited the Patriots recently, ESPN’s Mike Reiss notes. Ranked 23rd on Jeremiah’s big board, Guyton stands 6-foot-8 and is more projection than proven talent. Only garnering honorable mention All-Big 12 acclaim last season, Guyton made just 15 college starts. Five of those came at TCU in 2022 before transferring. The Patriots re-signed Michael Onwenu with the intention of keeping him at right tackle, but with Trent Brown leaving for Cincinnati, New England still has a need at left tackle. Barring a trade out of No. 3 — certainly a possibility — the Pats would need to address this issue after the first round.
This draft class features another raw tackle talent drawing first-round consideration. Amarius Mims has Guyton beat, starting eight games in three Georgia seasons. Six of Mims’ starts came at right tackle last season. The 6-foot-8, 340-pound tackle missed time at Georgia, requiring ankle surgery early last season, and suffered a hamstring injury while running at the Combine. Viewed as high-ceiling talent, Mims has drawn understandable concerns about his durability, per ESPN.com’s Jordan Reid.
The Eagles and Broncos are two teams to monitor with regards to an early-round tackle investment, ESPN.com’s Matt Miller writes. Although Philadelphia just extended left tackle Jordan Mailata, stalwart RT Lane Johnson is heading into his age-34 season. The Eagles are typically proactive on their O-line. The Broncos have two high-priced tackles (and a rather glaring QB need) in Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey, but Bolles is going into a contract year. The second pick going to the Saints in the Sean Payton trade is the Broncos’ 2024 second-rounder, leaving Denver with only a third after its No. 12 overall slot.
Add the Packers to the list of teams to meet with cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry. The Alabama product visited Green Bay on Monday, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein. This will follow McKinstry meetings with the Jaguars, Buccaneers and Lions. Regarded as a more highly touted prospect going into last season, McKinstry has seen teammate Terrion Arnold leapfrog him. The latter ranks higher now, though McKinstry should still hear his name called early. Save for the Jordan Love pick, the Packers have used a defense-focused approach in Round 1 for more than a decade. Beyond Love, Green Bay’s last offensive player chosen in Round 1 was tackle Derrick Sherrod in 2011.