Prior to the 2018 college football season, Montez Sweat was viewed as a potential late first-round prospect. He was linked to the Los Angeles Rams in a few mock drafts, but after a strong season at Mississippi State and incredible showing at the combine, Sweat pushed himself well out of the Rams’ range.
Following the combine, he was pegged as a likely top-10 pick. That may not be the case anymore, and unfortunately, it’s not due to something Sweat can control. He has a heart condition that could make it unsafe for him to play football, leading some teams to take him off their draft boards, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Given the circumstances, it’s entirely possible Sweat suffers a draft day slide next week, potentially hearing his name called much later than he and many others anticipate. Making the situation even more ominous, Sweat will no longer attend the draft after previously committing to being in Nashville, Tenn.
Instead, he’ll spend the night with his grandparents and family members in Georgia.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to spend draft night with family – Dwayne Haskins and several others will be doing the same – but the timing of it all raises some concerns. There’s been talk about him sliding in the draft, and it’s possible he’d rather not be stuck in the green room in the event that teams pass on him.
It raises the question of whether Sweat could land in the Rams’ range. Vic Tafur of The Athletic thinks he could fall to the Raiders No. 24, and possibly even further. The Rams are only seven picks behind Oakland, sitting at No. 31 overall.
The Raiders scooped up Maurice Hurst in the fifth round last year after he was previously believed to be a first-rounder. He fell because of a heart condition, which makes some analysts wonder if Sweat could be in for a similar free fall, though to a lesser extent.
If teams are worried about Sweat’s future in football, he could fall all the way out of the first round, and possibly well beyond that. They might be hesitant to commit a high pick to a player who might not be able to play football much longer.
The Rams are in need of edge rushers and few would be better than Sweat, who ran a 4.41 40-yard dash at 6 feet 6 and 260 pounds. He can play every down and even kick inside as a defensive end in the Rams’ scheme. There would be absolutely no concerns about his role in Los Angeles if he were to fall that far.
It all depends on how comfortable each team is with his medical condition. If the Rams are confident he can have a long NFL career, they might even consider moving up if he falls into the 20s. In order to get to No. 25 overall, the Rams would have to give up the 94th overall pick and nothing else.
We won’t find out how far Sweat will slide until Thursday night, but his unfortunate situation could put him in the Rams’ range at the end of the first round.