Philadelphia Eagles: 2 Reasons Josh Sweat is poised for a breakout year

Expect Josh Sweat to shine in year three with the Philadelphia Eagles.

It wasn’t that long ago when, in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles took a chance on Josh Sweat. He came out of Florida State as one of the better edge rushers in his draft class, but there were plenty of concerns about his history with knee injuries and the late break he gets out of his stance. Still, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein still graded him as one of the top five edger rushers in 2018’s selection meeting with a 6.10 prospect grade, meaning that he was expected to be a good backup who could become a starter.

It was no secret he was one of the top athletes in the 2018 draft class. While he is six-foot-five and tips the scales at 251 pounds, he also ran a 4.53 forty-yard dash (third among edge rushers) before showcasing a 39.5-inch vertical jump (first among edge rushers) and had a 124-inch broad jump (second among edge rushers). Those marks were expected to improve his draft stock.

The production at Florida State wasn’t lacking either. From his first season in Tallahassee as a true freshman to his junior year, he made an impact on the field. His 14.5 sacks and 138 total tackles (29.0 resulted in a loss of yardage), along with his six pass deflections and three fumble recoveries in 35 games were all solid marks.

Maybe he could’ve stayed for his senior year, but he felt that he had proved what he needed to. Looking back, the multiple knee injuries may have made some NFL teams hesitant, and it could explain some of the slow starts he’s had as a pro. 2020 will be a breakout year. You can count on it. Here are the reasons why that’s the case.