Why Montez Sweat will build on strong rookie season with Redskins

Montez Sweat should build on a strong rookie season with the Redskins.

In all the hullabaloo of the Redskins’ first-round picks in the 2019 and 2020 NFL Drafts, Montez Sweat has been lost in the shuffle a bit. The Mississippi State product had a very strong rookie season in which he notched 50 tackles, seven sacks, and two forced fumbles as a season-long starter.

But despite his productivity, he hasn’t gotten quite as much attention as the Redskins’ other first-round selections from those drafts.

In 2019, Sweat was one of two first-round picks that the Redskins had. Sweat was taken 26th overall after the team traded up to get him while quarterback Dwayne Haskins was taken with the 15th overall selection. Because of his position and his up-and-down performance as a rookie, Haskins has received a bulk of the attention, as he is one of the biggest keys to the Redskins’ immediate future.

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This past draft, the Redskins had the No. 2 overall pick and selected a first-round defensive lineman for the fourth-straight year. They acquired Chase Young, another Ohio State product who had 16.5 sacks during his final collegiate season and figures to be a pro-ready contributor and a well-rounded edge rusher at the next level.

With all the excitement surrounding the arrival of Young, Sweat’s solid rookie season has been overlooked a bit. But heading into 2020, he’ll have a chance to build on his rookie campaign and prove that he can be an excellent complement to Young for years to come.

Sweat is poised to build on his rookie year, too. While Sweat has insane athletic ability that allowed him to fit well into the team’s 3-4 defense last season, he is a better fit for a 4-3 scheme. He has a long 6-6, 262-pound frame and good get off speed at the line. He’s excellent against the run as well, and he should continue to be a very good edge setter for the ‘Skins.

In the 4-3, Sweat won’t be asked to cover as much, which is good news for him. While he has the skill set needed to find success in that area, it was his biggest weakness and he’s much better at coming downhill to attack and make plays in the backfield. Jack Del Rio and Ron Rivera will surely make that his primary responsibility and let him play to his strengths.

The other reason that Sweat should be poised for an even bigger season? The presence of Young adds yet another weapon to the Redskins’ defensive line. Between Young, Ryan Kerrigan, Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Matt Ioannidis, and Sweat, the Redskins have a ton of weapons for opposing offensive lines to worry about. They won’t be able to double-team players often, so that will give Sweat and his great length and athleticism a chance to win one-on-one battles against some of the more power-based blockers he may face in 2020.

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Between the weapons the Redskins have on defense and Sweat’s fit in the 4-3, he should improve on his rookie year performance. A double-digit sack mark is certainly not out of the question, but so long as he can generate a lot of pressure while staying strong against the run, Washington will be happy, regardless of the stats.

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