Steven Ridley’s 2018 NFL Mock Draft

With the twenty-fifth overall pick in the 2018 Steven Ridley NFL Mock Draft, the Tennessee Titans select:

Josh Sweat; Defensive End from Florida State University.

Josh Sweat’s story is quite the intriguing one for certain. To understand Josh Sweat the player and how he got this far, a brief synopsis. Tabbed as the “Next Jadeveon Clowney” by many exiting Oscar F. Smith High School, Sweat tore his ACL and dislocated his knee during his Seinor Season after initially being the number ranked prospect in the country before the incident. At Florida State, his luck would continue to be anything but luck; a torn meniscus in 2016 and torn ligaments in his fingers a year later. That being said, why someone like Josh Sweat over someone more proven with less injury history like Sam Hubbard or even someone like Leighton Vander Esch? The answer lies in the very finite details. In the yesteryears of the NFL, ACL and knee dislocation often beget the dreaded “C.E.I” acronym or “Career Ending Injury”. With the advancements in Sports Medical Science, such injuries usually now take a matter of months; two to three more to fully heal. However, that does not entirely explain why Josh Sweat is worthy of first round consideration by the Titans and more notably, by Mike Vrabel. The answer lies in the very finite details.

Given the fact that Mike’s division is going to be loaded with Quarterbacks who either seem to look like the real deal or are the real deal in addition to having two bookends who are either way past the wrong side of 30 or will be approaching said age soon, developing a way to attack your rival’s signal caller is key. However, just any pass rusher would not do either. Given the fact that Vrabel knows about the virtues of having versatility like his old coach along with seeing the elation of having ridiculously gifted athletes, acquiring someone like Sweat to rotate with the likes of Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morrigan will ensure that he has a smooth transition into the league as Sweat has the flexibility and explosive capabilities that the Titans so desperately need on the edge. He still does need some more proverbial “tools in his toolbox” and he does not possess much ability in pass coverage but his ability to set the edge on running downs is what will get him on the field in his rookie season sooner rather than later.