Philadelphia Eagles DE Josh Sweat: 3 Things to know

Add new Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat to one of the most feared defensive lines in football.

Well, as quickly as it came, it ended. The 2018 NFL Draft is behind us, but it wouldn’t end before the Philadelphia Eagles added five more names to the roster. That includes their second-round selection, tight end Dallas Goedert, and two guys they added in the fourth that they hope become valuable contributors to an already stout defense. Start getting familiar with both cornerback Avonte Maddox and defensive end Josh Sweat.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the latter. Here are three things Eagles fans may find interesting.

1. Of course we had to pull up the stats.

Some might be under the impression that Sweat came out a year too early. He skipped his senior season to enter the draft, but then again, you could also argue that it could be hard to improve on a season where he amassed 56 tackles (12.5 of those resulted in a loss).

Add 5.5 sacks and three passes batted as a junior, and you have some of the reason why the Eagles found him to be so interesting of a prospect.

For his career in Tallahassee, Sweat posted 138 total tackles, 14.5 sacks, six passes defensed, a forced fumble, three fumble recoveries and an interception in 35 career games.

2. Here’s what was said before he was even placed on the Eagles draft board.

NFL.com is, so often, spot on, especially with their draft profiles. Hey, they wouldn’t be who they are if they weren’t, right? Here’s some of the highlights from Sweat’s scouting report:

"Sweat has the length, frame and athletic qualities to fit right in as a 3-4 SAM or rush linebacker, but he needs to go to school with a position coach or a talented veteran to help unlock his pass rush potential. Sweat’s initial quickness and issues with contact balance could hinder his ability to play with his hand down. He has the ability to become a decent NFL starter but there is a wide disparity between his ceiling and floor thanks to concerns surrounding the current and future health of his knee."

They were also spot on with their prediction that he might go in the third or fourth round. Eagles fans can only hope they’re right about who they’ve compared him to. They see him as, potentially, another Barkevious Mingo.

3. Health concerns always raise a red flag or two.

Saying someone battled injury in college is almost a death sentence to some NFL scouts. Even if it isn’t, it raises the antenna. Check the injury concern box for Sweat.

Here’s a tweet from Ian Rapoport’s ‘Rap Sheet’.

Sweat went under the knife to have work done on his ACL, MCL and PCL while with the Florida State Seminoles.

Next: Eagles sign RB Darren Sproles to one-year deal

That’ll definitely get mentioned going forward. These types of things are sensitive topics to a team that battled injuries all season in 2017. Sure, things worked out in the end, but it’s also nice when you don’t have to juggle the roster week after week.