Texas defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat could be a star in the NFL. He was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year last season and the Outland Trophy winner as the top interior offensive or defensive lineman in the country. He's viewed as a late first- or early second-round pick in the draft. Or at least he was.
That was before Sweat was arrested last weekend in Texas for driving while intoxicated after he crashed his SUV into a sedan early Sunday morning. No injuries were reported from the wreck, but the incident clearly calls Sweat's maturity into question. And raises another, says Doug Karsch: "Is he now completely eliminated from the Detroit Lions' board?
"He's an athletic freak who’s considered to be a player that’s right there in the ballpark of where the Lions select, a position of need and a player whose talent might warrant the selection at 29. Is he now completely off the board? And should he be completely off the board?"
Gator says that the Lions should "still interview him and find out what's going on -- I'd want more info before I take him off the board -- but based on what the Lions are looking for in players, this doesn’t seem to fit. And it wouldn’t surprise me if this takes him off their board because of the character issues, making a horrific decision to get in the car while intoxicated."
Karsch says there's a difference between taking Sweat off the board entirely, "and taking him off the board at 29." If Sweat -- who's drawn comparisons to Bucs star defensive tackle Vita Vea -- is still available on the second or third day of the draft, "every team will be asking themselves, 'At this point, do we take him?' Would the Lions use their pick early in the third round on him? I bet they wouldn’t."
But there could be clear value in getting a first-round talent like Sweat, who's 6'4 and 365 lbs, later in the draft. Karsch says the Lions "have to consider, how well do you know this kid, how strong is the network you have that you can really get to the bottom of, is this a good person who made an awful decision?"
"Prior to this, was he everything you wanted and he had one really bad night where he made a terrible, terrible decision?"