Subscribe
Follow Us
Mississippi State defensive end Montez Sweat is considered one of the top pass rushing prospects in this year's NFL Draft class, but some teams are treading lightly with him.
Doctors at the Scouting Combine diagnosed Sweat with a heart condition, which was said to be “low risk” and would not require any further testing. However, that has not stopped teams from being cautious about the issue, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Pelissero said that the problem has been discussed “extensively” in the draft rooms of every team he has spoken with over the past week.
He added that doctors stated there is no example of any other players currently participating in the NFL who have Sweat's condition, which is an enlarged heart. However, Pelissero did say that there are instances of players managing to play with this condition in other sports, such as soccer.
Article Continues Below
He continued to say that whichever team decides to draft Sweat would have to have a defibrillator on hand at all times.
Finally, even though Pelissero says that doctors think Sweat can be just fine playing with the condition, some teams are “not comfortable” with the situation and, as a result, have taken him off their draft boards.
Sweat is coming off a terrific senior year in which he racked up 53 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and and a forced fumble. He began his collegiate career at Michigan State in 2014, but transferred to Mississippi State after two seasons because he was not getting playing time.
