Getty New York Jets new offensive tackle Ryan Swoboda with the Detroit Lions in 2023.
The New York Jets’ final practice squad signing flew a bit under the radar, which is ironic considering the prospect’s 6-foot-10 frame.
The Jets announced the deal with offensive tackle Ryan Swoboda on their website and X on August 31, with contributor Randy Lange writing that “[his] claim to fame so far is his outstanding stature — he’s been listed at 6-10 and 325 pounds.”
“[Swoboda] had 39 starts at tackle for Virginia before finishing his college career at Central Florida,” Lange went on, “then was signed by [the] Detroit [Lions] as an undrafted free agent in May. He played in all three of the Lions’ preseason games, seeing 34 offensive snaps in all.”
During that brief taste of NFL action, Pro Football Focus graded Swoboda at a 63.0 overall, with a 69.1 in pass protection (one QB pressure allowed, no sacks) and a 57.1 as a run blocker.
Jets New OT Ryan Swoboda Was Named to ‘Second-Team Offense’ of 2023 Undrafted Roster
Labeled as “imposing” by the Sports Illustrated NFL Draft Bible, scouting on Swoboda highlights his “impressive functional strength and movement skills,” as well as his “high NFL ceiling.”
He made Athlon Sports’ Second-Team Offense of their 2023 undrafted roster — which featured the top UDFA prospects that weren’t selected in April — and profiles as a developmental piece of clay for the NYJ coaching staff to mold.
“Very few college football players have the distinction of physically standing out from their peers,” S.I.’s NFL Draft Bible voiced. “Ryan Swoboda, though, boasts a unique 6100, 325-pound frame and has already excelled against NFL prospects in the ACC.”
In a similar vein, NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein described the three-year starter’s size as “rare,” but noted that it can also “work against him due to his high center of gravity.”
The draft expert explained: “On tape, he has heavy feet and struggles to move them quickly enough to keep pace with athletic movements. However, at his pro day testing, he performed fairly well at the same task. He will need to alter his approach in pass protection with better posture and more efficient hands and feet to overcome the deficiencies he shows on tape.”
S.I.’s NFL Draft Bible added that Swoboda has already “flashed the awareness to pick up stunts and delayed blitzers in pass protection,” with the length and movement to cover a wide range of space. As his preseason grades suggest, his problem areas appear to be athletic limitations as a run blocker and his ability to contain edge rushers who attack using a low center of gravity.
Jets’ Ryan Swoboda Offers Another Long-Term Option at Right Tackle
With Mekhi Becton stepping up and winning the right tackle job, the Jets and their fans were allowed a sigh of relief. The position had looked shaky all spring, but even a healthy Becton may not be the long-term solution considering the Green & White already declined his fifth-year option this spring.
Max Mitchell has shown more success on the righthand side than the left, and the Jets also drafted Carter Warren as another developmental offensive tackle in 2023, but Swoboda could offer a third option if NYJ can turn this God-given frame into an NFL-caliber blocker.
For now, they’ll likely work on the basics. Assuming no one poaches Swoboda onto their active roster in 2023, the Jets will have an entire season to figure out whether or not they have something here.
Considering the potential pay-off, that’s certainly a flyer worth looking into.