For a team that preached the importance of the trenches, the Houston Texans’ strategy at the defensive tackle has been puzzling for some.
The AFC South winners lost Sheldon Rankins to the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency and traded away fellow starter Maliek Collins to the San Francisco 49ers. In return, they signed Folorunso Fatukasi after a high-profile free agent stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars, alongside career backups such as Tim Settle from the Buffalo Bills and Mario Edwards Jr from the Seattle Seahawks.
Houston added power up the middle when it signed Tennesee Titans’ star Danico Autry but the 33-year-old represents much more of an interior edge rusher than a true three-down defensive tackle.
Houston still could target one of the top defensive linemen in April’s draft, but its pickings could also be minimal when on the clock at No. 42. Illinois’ Johnny Newton and Texas’ Byron Murphy were prime options at pick No. 23, but the Texans shipped off their Day 1 pick to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange to move back 19 spots and a 2025 second-round pick.
That pick was used to acquire Stefon Diggs from Buffalo Wednesday morning, thus making Houston’s path to the draft much more clear.
Houston should feel content with the line entering OTAs, but there’s not there’s not a clear “upgrade” path to the trenches for head coach DeMeco Ryans. Even with promising upside, the Day 2 talents are going to take time adjusting from life on Saturdays to life in the pros.
There are, however, some intriguing options in the second round that could booster what appears to be a position the Texans will attack as a collective, including former Longhorn standout T’Vondre Sweat.
Sweat Stands Out In Run Defense
Sweat was debatably the most high-profile defensive tackle in college football this past season at a monstrous 365 lbs. He played five seasons on the Forty Acres and ended 2023 on an incredibly high note, earning consensus All-American honors and first-team All-Big 12 player honors.
Sweat was also named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s best interior defensive lineman.
In 15 games, the Huntsville native totaled 45 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, and a pair of sacks while wielding his immense strength and size to anchor the Longhorns against the run and help propel the defense to the College Football Playoff.
When there’s smoke, a fire is not far behind. Rumors have been heating up between the two sides ever since the start of the offseason, and they’re about to set Twitter ablaze with three weeks to go.
Houston has an obvious need for the position in place of Collins. Sweat is one of the more well-rounded trench prospects projected to go outside the first round.
Ok, so what’s the debate? What doesn’t Nick Caserio run in the card and never look back at No. 42?
Ryans simply has never deployed a defensive tackle of Sweat’s size. During his time as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator, he vastly preferred smaller and quicker defensive linemen, capable of getting upfield to push the pocket on passing downs and additionally playing a higher volume of snaps to supplement the ferocious, attacking nature.
How could the largest defensive tackle in years fit that profile? Despite the awkward optics, the film doesn’t raise as many questions. Sweat proved he’s someone that could not only immediately contribute to how Ryans wants the Texans to play defense, but also someone who could become more at the next level.
Immediately, Sweat would represent an upper-tier run stopper at the defensive tackle position as a rookie. His mass allows him to engage multiple blockers and makes it difficult for offensive lines to move him off his spot. Sweat is additionally strong enough to work through double teams and make plays on the ball carrier even when accounted for. More often than not, teams simply chose to run in the other direction.
His effect on the game goes beyond the sheer strength and size that’s bundled underneath the uniform. Sweat is surprisingly adept at using his hands to win 1-on-1 situations with offensive linemen and he took advantage of players who weren’t prepared for both the physical and technical level required to stay in front of him.
Often billed as an elite run-stuffer, and fairly so, Sweat still brings some surprising chops to the passing game.
His strength translates to incredible bull rushes that force offensive tackles and guards alike backward. Sweat would immediately be able to contribute towards collapsing the pocket and is a handful when offensive linemen can do nothing but work backward against him. His strong hands also contribute to some surprising sacks on film.
“I’m a better pass rusher than people give me credit for. I can push the pocket,” Sweat recently said in an interview with The Draft Network That’s what a lot of coaches look for at the next level, somebody that can push the pocket,” Sweat told The Draft Network. “If the quarterback doesn’t have enough room to step up into the middle of the pocket, what’s he going to do when he’s under pressure? That puts the passer in a tough spot. I love pushing that pocket. Coaches love it when I do that.”
Collapsing the pocket and the strength he has to do it is evident everywhere on film. Even on the edge, watch Sweat walk back Alabama’s left tackle and nearly lay a hand on the quarterback.
His strength translates to any assignment when rushing the passer.
Talent Transition To Pros
So yes, it’s fair for fans to ask at his profile. How Sweat will adjust to the NFL game and how many snaps he’ll be able to effectively play at a staggering size is a huge part of his draft projection. Additionally, how effectively his pass rush game translates when linemen are stronger and better prepared to deal with his size could mean Sweat needs additional tools to succeed on 3rd downs at the NFL level.
Where would this project Sweat if he dropped into Houston’s current brand?
He could start immediately as the 1-technique defensive tackle and would represent an enormous challenge for opposing centers and guards. The defense still needs someone to anchor at that position on run-downs and Sweat would immediately serve that role. He would change the dynamics of the run game and the attention he demands would open up favorable scenarios for the Texans’ newest linebacker duo in Christian Harris and Azeez Al-Shaiir.
In the passing game, Ryans has often preferred smaller defensive linemen due to their ability to quickly get upfield and affect the dynamics of the- passing game. Due to Sweat’s strength and technical work, he isn’t prohibited from affecting the passer at his size. He would help to collapse the pocket and is a disaster waiting to happen for guards that needs to account for him on stunts and switches when Danielle Hunter or NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson are flying in from the edge.
He may not be transformative in the passing game, but even at his current level, he offers a phenomenal fit in the context of Houston’s incredible defensive infrastructure. This doesn’t even address the fact that there may be another level to Sweat as a professional.
Best Case-Scenario?
What happens if Sweat can play more than 50% of the snaps as an NFL tackle? What if he drops some of the weight that he’s gained during his last two seasons of college but still represents a sizable mass in the 330-340lb range? That’s when outcomes could become special.
A lighter weight could allow Sweat to play far closer to the defensive tackles historically deployed by Ryans in San Francisco and last year in Houston. It would certainly elevate his ability to quickly fly to the quarterback and likely would come without sacrificing much, if any, of his impact on the running game. Still, there’s little need to dwell on hypotheticals when such a clear skillset is already apparent to evaluators.
Even without a first-round pick, there is a lot to love about the potential for Caserio to attack the position in the second round with the homegrown Sweat.
He would bring an elite run-stopping skillset to the 1-tech defensive tackle position and could represent a huge problem when left 1-on-1 or employed as the decoy on stunts for passing downs. Whether the Texans would truly gamble on a different archetype on tackle is yet to be seen.
The potential is undeniable. So is the risk-reward factor in an offseason where the Texans are gambling big.
