T'Vondre Sweat is exactly what the Lions need on the interior defensive line
There's no secret that the Detroit Lions need some help on their defensive line. There was a lot of parts in motion during the season. Isaiah Buggs had his problems, Benito Jones struggled, Brodric Martin is a project, Levi Onwuzurkie was taken out of the rotation and then put back in, Tyson Alualu played well […]
There's no secret that the Detroit Lions need some help on their defensive line. There was a lot of parts in motion during the season. Isaiah Buggs had his problems, Benito Jones struggled, Brodric Martin is a project, Levi Onwuzurkie was taken out of the rotation and then put back in, Tyson Alualu played well for a few games and Alim McNeill was awesome when healthy. The Lions could use someone to help out McNeill in 2024. Someone like this guy.
That's Texas' interior defensive lineman T'Vondre Sweat that is taking the soul of Arkansas center Beaux Limmer. This rep from Senior Bowl practices on Wednesday was impressive, but he's more than just a flash in the pan type player. Sweat is a first round prospect that's been shining all year long.
Sweat was one of the leaders of the Texas defense that played in the college football playoffs this past season. Sweat finished the season with two sacks and 8 tackles for loss. He also finished with 31 pressures. That was 13th among defensive tackles in the nation last season.
From an analytics standpoint, Sweat was Pro Football Focus's number one graded interior defensive linemen from the 2022 season with a 91.7 grade on the year. He was also their ninth graded pass rusher with an 85.3 grade and their best run stuffer with a 92 grade. The guy is legit.
Sweat is a very good fit with the Lions from that run stuff point of view. The Lions became arguably the best run stopping crew in the NFL in 2023 and Sweat would only help continue that excellence. Especially with his massive 6-foot-4 and 350 pound frame.He can be a space eater out there. But it's the pass rush and the ability to move guys around that could really help the Lions. Him and Alim McNeill together would be pretty hard to stop.
Now, can the Lions get him in the first round? It's certainly a possibility based on the needs of the teams ahead of them. This is likely to be a draft that's top heavy with quarterbacks and skill players. The defensive linemen that could push Sweat down to the 29th pick are Moreso pass rushers that are valued higher than the interior guys.
Some places have Sweat going high in the second round, but he's considered to be a first round prospect and that could be cemented by the end of the week. So there's a chance he can land in the Lions sweet spot and they can draft him without having to move around. We'll see what happens in April, but Sweat should be high on the list for the Lions.
4 standouts for the Lions from day two of Senior Bowl practices
Day two of Senior Bowl practices are in the books. On day one we focused corners, receivers and tight ends that would fit with the Lions. On day two we're going to talk about the trenches. Both offensive and defensive linemen. I'll throw in a little special teams as well. Here's four guys that stood […]
