The Tennessee Titans knew they were taking a risk when they selected Texas defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
However, that risk paid off in Sweat's first season with the team. He had 51 tackles, one sack and a forced fumble for the Titans this season, establishing himself as a big part of the team's future defense.
ESPN writer Ben Solak listed Sweat as the best interior defensive lineman in his All-Rookie Team.
"If you had asked me for my rosiest projection on Sweat's rookie season, I don't think I could have gotten here. At 360 pounds, he consistently played over 50% of the defensive snaps, and while he was occasionally gassed in the fourth quarter of long games, it wasn't any more or less than an average defensive tackle," Solak writes.
"He was a perfect pairing with franchise defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, as he punished teams that made Simmons the focal point of their pass protection and running schemes, and Sweat consistently won when he was doubled. While it will never be the featured strength of his game, he flashed more pass-rush arsenal than I could have dreamed. Sweat clearly has a ceiling beyond that of a Jordan Davis or Michael Pierce; he might be a Vita Vea."
Simmons is expected to be his running mate in the trenches for the next few years, but Sweat will be able to fill in his role once he eventually leaves the Titans. This will give the Titans stability at the defensive tackle position for a very long time, which is a hard position to nail down when building an NFL roster.
If Sweat was able to produce this much in his rookie season, he's on pace to have an even better campaign in Year 2, and that should excite the Titans.
“2024 had a lot of ups and downs for me,” Sweat said. “100 percent I could have had a way better year. I feel like I had a decent year for my rookie year.”
When asked about next year, though, his response was different.
“Second year,” Sweat said with a smile, “is going to be a lot of great things in 2025. Next season, it’s going to be exciting. I can’t wait to get back.”
During his rookie year, Sweat said he learned a lot about how to take care of his body and said that going from 12 weeks in college to 18 in the NFL “is a big difference.” His locker mate, Simmons, helped him learn about maintaining so he could make it through the full 18 weeks.
This offseason, Sweat said he is going to focus on flexibility, which will help him with his mobility and explosiveness. If he gets too much more mobile and explosive, we may see Tennessee’s version of Dexter Lawrence. And that would be a ton of fun.
