After the Philadelphia Eagles signed Saquon Barkley and the Washington Commanders added Austin Ekeler in free agency, the Dallas Cowboys need to make a strong counter-punch to combat two potentially high-flying offenses dropping prolific running backs in the backfield.
During the first round of the NFL Draft, the Cowboys added Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton in front of Dak Prescott to help win the battle along the line of scrimmage, offensively, but it may be past time to make a similar investment for new coordinator Mike Zimmer’s defense.
That’s exactly what plays out in Steve Muench’s second-round mock draft, projecting the Cowboys add Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat.
“Dallas needs to improve its run defense,” Muench writes for ESPN. “After allowing opponents to rush for 4.2 yards per carry last season, which was middle of the pack. The 6-4, 366-pound Sweat is a plugger at nose tackle.”
Last season, Sweat took up residence in opposing backfields, producing a career-high eight tackles for loss, two sacks, and four pass breakups while adding a career-high 45 total tackles.
Sweat would be a welcomed addition after Dallas finished the 2023 campaign ranked 16th against the run, and given that the two teams nipping at the Cowboys’ heels in the NFC East doubled down on their commitments to running the football over the offseason.
T’Vondre Sweat NFL Draft Scouting Report
Sweat was overshadowed a bit playing alongside Seattle Seahawks first-round pick Byron Murphy II, but, the 6-foot-4 and 362-pound defensive tackle was a massive disruptive presence in the middle of the Longhorns’ defensive line.
“He’s not going to be single-blocked,” an AFC area scout told NFL.com, on Sweat. “So, offenses are going to have to end up accounting for him on anything they want to do with their inside running game.”
By any metric, the 2023 season was Sweat’s most dominant and disruptive of his collegiate career. According to Pro Football Focus, Sweat logged 26 quarterback pressures alongside his two sacks while garnering a 91.7 overall grade from the outlet and posting an elite 12.8 run-stop win rate and an elite 15.3 pass-rush win rate.
“Sweat is a strong run defender,” the Bleacher Report Scouting Department writes. “Who has the size and strength to be a good 2-gapping nose tackle in the NFL. His impressive upper-body strength helps him gain control of the block and lock out offensive linemen.
“Sweat is almost impossible to move with one-on-one blocks, and he’s pretty good at creating stalemates against double-teams and combo blocks, often conceding little to no ground beyond the line of scrimmage. Shedding blocks is also fairly easy for him because of his impressive upper-body strength.”
After losing Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler, Neville Gallimore, and Johnathan Hankins along the defensive line via free agency, the Cowboys need to begin replenishing that unit with disruptive young talent.
Sweat could be an ideal target to begin a much-needed rebuild.
What Picks do The Cowboys Have Left in the NFL Draft?
GettyDallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones
After selecting Guyton in the first round, the Cowboys are projected to have seven more selections this weekend, beginning with No. 56 overall in the second round.
Here’s a look at each of the Cowboys’ remaining picks in Rounds 2-7:
- Round 2, Pick 56
- Round 3, Pick 73 (via Detroit Lions)
- Round 3, Pick 87
- Round 5, Pick 174 (compensatory)
- Round 6, Pick 216 (compensatory)
- Round 7, Pick 233 (via Las Vegas Raiders)
- Round 7, Pick 244
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Cowboys Projected to Add ‘Massive Space-Eater’ to Fix Run-Defense