Washington's front seven looks like they could be the most dominant defensive front in the league this year. Last year's first-round pick, Montez Sweat, looks to remind the league why he has the potential to be an IDP Breakout Candidate in 2020.
Montez Sweat's 2019 Statistics: 31 Solo, 19 Ast, 8 TFL, 7 Sacks, 2 FF and 2 PD
I honestly don't even know where to begin. I can hardly express my excitement to see these players all on the field together for the 2020 season. So many talented defensive linemen on one team are just plain old scary. How can any team game plan for something like this? What player do you focus on? Which guy can you afford not to double team? Who will get the sacks? At the end of the day, who will get the beloved tackle points, and who will be their IDP breakout candidate? Well, when it comes to a player breaking out, my money is on Montez Sweat. Follow along while I go in a little more in-depth about the situation Sweat finds himself in for the 2020 season.
When you look at Sweat's size, he is a monster among men. He's 6'6 and currently about 262 lbs. He has tremendous length for an edge rusher. Sweat has long arms (35.63in actually). He played for Mississippi State. Coming out of college, he was a highly-touted pass-rush prospect. Many considered him to be the best player at the 2019 Senior Bowl. Even in the NFL, he has a tendency to give offensive tackles problems due to his speed and strength. He showed in his rookie season how fast he could be off the edge. Montez is a natural pass rusher with great instincts who gives opposing offenses another man to worry about when they're preparing for a game plan. He has a clear ability to get after the quarterback.
Mississippi State DE Montez Sweat (6'6, 260 lbs) ran the 40 in 4.42 seconds. Insane. https://t.co/UlNMeWOWDQ
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 3, 2019
Against the Run:
Even as a run defender, Sweat showed the potential to set the edge in 2019. Not many players his size can do that. He uses his strength to manhandle linemen and has a high pursuit to move runners to the sidelines. That's a good way to shut down any running back that he encounters. Since he's not the heaviest man in the trenches, Sweat does get pushed around at times by some elite offensive linemen. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that he has bulked up during the off-season. Especially since Washington added some competition in the 2020 NFL draft. However, that will not stop him from becoming an IDP breakout candidate in 2020.
Washington's D-Line:
Washington's defensive line is stacked with talent. They have guys like Jonathan Allen, Da'Ron Payne, Ryan Kerrigan, and Matthew Ioannidis. Even as their offense struggled last season, Washington's defense seemed to always keep them in games. When the 2020 NFL draft came along, Washington decided to add one more talented young specimen to their defensive line. Chase Young was selected in the first round. Young has a lot of notoriety already. Having all of these guys on the field at the same time would be an amazing sight to see. So, Washington decided to hire Ron Rivera as the new head coach of the team. A man who is known for developing young talent on his teams.
Here comes the rookie Montez Sweat with the sack! @_sweat9 #HTTR
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Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/dqc4mvJ3lB pic.twitter.com/akkb4bQjcH— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2019
Sweat's 2019:
Montez Sweat closed out the season with a pretty solid game against Dallas. He had 5 tackles, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble. Throughout the entire 2019 season, he played about 730 defensive snaps. In addition to the Rivera hiring, Jack Del Rio is in as the new defensive coordinator. Del Rio has decided that Washington will use a 4-3 defense during the 2020 season. Personally, I think it's a wonderful idea. This gives them a chance to put all of their dangerous guys on the field at the same time. Sweat is listed as a starter at their defensive end position. He can also move to the outside linebacker in certain packages if it's required of him. He's a very versatile lineman.
IDP Implications:
Sweat's current Dynasty ADP is 306. That has him going around the 25th or 26th rounds in deeper drafts. But, in the 11 leagues I'm currently participating in, he's going a lot sooner than that. Don't hesitate to jump on the chance to grab this IDP breakout candidate. He's also currently ranked 186 out of the 700+ combined consensus rankings on IDPguys. In my mind, Sweat has DL2 value this year with DL1 upside. He is sure to see an uptick in defensive snaps and has the potential to be so much more. Washington should be a team to watch this season due to the talent they have on the defensive line. This team will be "can't miss TV".
