T'Vondre Sweat

T'Vondre Sweat

The Tennessee Titans selected Texas defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat with the 38th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Friday evening.

The pick came just six spots into round two, which was earlier than most experts pegged Sweat to be selected in their pre-draft projections. The Athletic had Sweat ranked as the 129th overall prospect and the 10th-rated defensive tackle, while Pro Football Focus listed Sweat 122nd overall and eighth among interior defenders.

But the pick, based on Sweat's talent, is not considered a reach by most experts. The 6-foot-4, 366-pound Sweat compiled 45 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks, four passes defensed, and a blocked kick while fighting through constant double-teams. He also caught a touchdown in Texas' Big 12 championship game win over Oklahoma State.

The impressive campaign earned Sweat unanimous All-American and All-Big 12 honors and led to him being named the 2023 Outland Trophy winner and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. 

For his Longhorns career, the Huntsville, Texas, native totaled 128 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, 14 passes defensed, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. 

"We think T'Vondre can be a three-down player. He has the ability to push the pocket, has explosiveness. He can play the run as well as anybody in the class," Titans head coach Brian Callahan said.

Sweat dropped down a number of draft boards for a pair of non-production reasons: concerns over his playing weight and complications stemming from a DWI arrest earlier this month. 

On April 7, Sweat was arrested at 4:41 a.m. in Travis County, Texas, for driving while intoxicated, which is a Class B misdemeanor charge. Austin police were called to the site of a crash between an SUV and a sedan, and Sweat was the driver of the SUV. He was later released from jail after posting bond. 

Titans general manager Ran Carthon said the organization asked Sweat and his family some "tough questions" about the incident in the pre-draft interview process. 

The selection came during a run on defensive tackles early in the second round as Sweat was the third of four taken in a five-pick stretch. Many thought Tennessee would focus on an edge rusher with its second-round selection, but Sweat could slot alongside All-Pro Jeffery Simmons in the Titans' starting lineup.

"I think we've added maybe 700 pounds worth of players in two picks," Callahan said. "But that's on purpose, that's by design. It's a big man's league, and you need big people to move the line of scrimmage. We wanted to make sure we invested the right players into the fronts. Those are important parts of building a football team and it's hard to pass up people that are of that size, and have that kind of playing ability."

Sweat was also one of five Longhorns taken in the first two rounds of the draft, joining fellow defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, wide receivers Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell (a Cane Ridge alum), and running back Jonathan Brooks. 

The draft continues with rounds four through seven on Saturday.

With no picks later tonight in round three, the Titans have five remaining picks for day three of the draft: pick 106 in round four, pick 146 in round five, pick 182 in round six, and picks 242 and 252 in round seven.Â