Redskins: 5 players to watch closely during the 2019 Senior Bowl

Montez Sweat has helped himself immensely at the Senior Bowl. He was coming off two back-to-back 10.5-plus sack seasons at Mississippi State, but he was still just considered a late-first-round option. The Senior Bowl should change that for sure.

Sweat’s good week started when he was measured, as his 6-foot-6, 252-pound frame caught the eye of talent evaluators. Even more impressive was his 35 5/8 inch arms and 84 1/2 inch wingspan. He will be able to use that length to his advantage in the NFL surely, and as an edge player, he is certainly intriguing.

After the solid measurement, Sweat took to the field and continued to impress talent evaluators. He is quick, explosive, and long and he knows how to use his athletic ability and length to his advantage. That will give him a chance to be productive early in his NFL career, and it’s looking more and more likely that Sweat will go in the top 20. If not, he won’t make it out of the top 25.

The Redskins may have a massive need on the edge depending on what happens with Preston Smith. The former Mississippi State product is one of the team’s most important impending free agents and if he isn’t re-signed, the team will need to look for a potential replacement in the draft. Sweat could appeal to them with the 15th pick and he could be a perfect replacement for Smith.

Sweat has great length, athleticism, and solid speed. He could be a double-digit sack artist at the next level. If he shines in the Senior Bowl, his stock will catch fire and really give him some more momentum as he looks to climb draft boards in the course of the next three months.