Montez Sweat motivated by draft day slide

Montez Sweat was at a Top Golf with 40 to 50 members of his family and friends at his side when the NFL draft began last Thursday. Once projected to go in the top 10, the 22-year-old edge rusher watched and listened as team after team made their picks — and his name remained on the board.

As the night went on, Sweat’s friends and family kept coming up to him to offer words of encouragement.

“There was definitely a lot of support there,” Sweat said. “It was close friends, my grandparents, my sister, all of them just walking up to me, just telling me, ’Just keep the faith, you’re going to get a chance. Just stay humble and keep the chip on your shoulder.’”

Eventually, the phone rang. It was Redskins coach Jay Gruden, telling Sweat the Redskins had ended Sweat’s fall by trading back into the first round for the 26th pick. Washington sent their second round pick and a 2020 second-rounder to the Indianapolis Colts to make the move.

By drafting Sweat, the Redskins, in theory, selected one of the best pass rushers in this year’s class. In his two years at Mississippi State, Sweat was a highly productive player — finishing with 22½ sacks. Combined with eye-popping physical attributes and Washington’s need for a pass rusher, it’s easy to see why Gruden called Sweat the “perfect fit.”

But for all the Redskins’ optimism, his fall only creates more questions. Was it primarily related to a report that said Sweat was diagnosed with a heart condition? Or were there other factors at play?

Sweat, though, is used to having to prove himself. The 6-foot-6 defensive end started college at Michigan State. But during his second year, he was suspended indefinitely for breaking team rules two games into the 2015 season. He was later dismissed the following spring and transferred to a junior college.

“I’ve always played with an edge and chip on my shoulder, but when I got dismissed from Michigan State, that chip immediately came on my shoulder,” Sweat told The Washington Times. “I knew I had to make a fight and be very humble to get back to the (Division I) level.

“Once I got back to that D1 level, that chip stayed with me.”

Sweat said his dismissal was related to “personal reasons,” though a former teammate who was also kicked off the team at the same time said they were dismissed for marijuana.

Sweat chose to attend Copiah-Lincoln Community College instead of another Division I school, so he could play football right away. If Sweat had transferred, he would have had to sit out a year because of NCAA rules.

“It’s almost like me going to punish myself,” Sweat said of going to junior college. “Just going to make a man out of myself and just grinding out of the hole that I dug myself. So I definitely did that, man. I’m a better person today.”

As for a potential heart condition, Sweat said he was misdiagnosed — noting a doctor from the Houston Texans diagnosed him “correctly.” The Redskins aren’t worried about Sweat’s health, either. Gruden said the team did its due diligence and feel “very strongly” that Sweat is healthy.

On paper, Sweat is filling a big need for the Redskins. The team lost starter Preston Smith in free agency to the Green Bay Packers, and the team’s coaches wonder if third-year linebacker Ryan Anderson can handle a larger role. Sweat and Smith will compete for the starting job opposite Ryan Kerrigan. The Redskins could also use Sweat’s speed. At the NFL scouting combine, Sweat ran a 4.41 40-yard dash — a record for defensive linemen. He also has incredibly long arms, measuring an 84-inch wingspan.

“If you’re 6-foot-6, run a 4.41 40 and you have the production he had at Mississippi State and you performed like he did at the Senior Bowl, it just is a perfect fit for us,” Gruden said.

Washington’s defense benefited from the way the draft unfolded in recent years. The team grabbed Jonathan Allen in the first round after the defensive end fell amid injury concerns in 2017. Last year, the Redskins grabbed defensive tackle Daron Payne, who was available because four quarterbacks went in the top 10.

Now, the Redskins hope Sweat ends up being another draft day steal.

“I know how hard I worked for this moment,” Sweat said. “I know God makes no mistakes and I knew at some point initially I was going to get some chance. And definitely, the Redskins believed in me to be a part of this organization.”