Redskins trade back into first round, take edge rusher Sweat
Many expected the Washington Redskins to make a trade during the first round Thursday night. However, most figured it would be to trade into the top five to take Dwayne Haskins. The Redskins landed Haskins without having to make a trade. The team followed up that move by trading their second round pick (46 overall) and their 2020 second round pick to the Indianapolis Colts for their 26th pick. The Redskins used that pick to take Mississippi State edge rusher Montez Sweat.
Sweat’s draft prospects have been quite the roller coaster ride. In March, it was reported that he had a heart condition, prompting many teams to remove him from their draft boards or removed him completely. On the morning of the draft, Ian Rappaport reported that several specialists had concluded that Sweat’s condition was misdiagnosed by doctors at the scouting combine in February.
Sweat charged up draft boards after having a dominant display in the senior bowl followed by an extremely impressive combine, with most experts considering him a top 15 pick. After the misdiagnosis, the Redskins were able to leapfrog the Raiders, who were reportedly set to take him at 27. At the combine, the 6-foot-6, 260-pound defensive lineman ran a 4.41 forty yard dash, better than all but two running backs at the combine. During senior bowl practices, he was said to have “annihilated” everyone he lined up against, with NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein reporting that he was the most dominant guy there on day one of practice. At Mississippi State last year, Sweat recorded 12 sacks and 53 tackles.
Sweat enters an already stacked Redskins defensive front, joining Jonathan Allen, Da’Ron Payne, Rueben Foster, Ryan Kerrigan, and others. It is expected that Sweat will contribute from day one.
