LA Rams Mock Draft: Elite WR and dominating D are theme of this draft

With the 99th overall pick

the LA Rams select T'Vondre Sweat, a defensive tackle out of Texas. Some fans may have already removed DT T'Vondre Sweat from their draft shopping list after he was charged in Austin Texas, I don't know if that necessarily eliminates him from consideration. After all, this is not a deep nor exceptionally talented defensive linemen draft class. At what point in the draft process will Sweat's risks be balanced by his potential upside?

ESPN NFL analyst Matt Miller has spoken to some NFL executives who now view Sweat as a Day 3 prospect. It's a combination of his legal issues coupled with his disappointing NFL Scouting Combine weight of 366 pounds. Frequently, NFL prospects enter intensive training to put out their best possible performance at the Combine and Pro Days. But T'Vondre Sweat's weight of 366 pounds has numerous NFL teams openly concerned that weight will be a constant battle for the young man throughout his NFL career.

Because the Rams did not trade back in this mock draft to acquire a pick or picks in Round 4, they must weigh their decision to select T'Vondre Sweat at the end of Round 3. In this mock draft, the team views Sweat's dominating presence on the defensive line as something that outweighs the risks. They could be correct.

Even if the Rams do not view T'Vondre Sweat highly in terms of his pass rush, there is no way to ignore his run stuffing ability, nor his ability to gobble offensive blockers and keep the team's linebackers free to make plays.

Sweat knows football. He knows how to put his arms up and knock down passes, having blocked four passes in each of his last two seasons. He knows how to stuff the run, averaging nearly 38 tackles in just 13.5 games in his last two college seasons. He even caught a two-yard pass for a touchdown in 2023. This defense needs a powerful presence on the defensive front to stop running plays and short yardage run attempts.

Few offensive linemen will win one-on-one's against Sweat. So he becomes a strategic investment to ensure at least one pass rusher has an opportunity to sack the quarterback. The Rams will roll the dice on Sweat here to ensure that proves to be the case.