Texas Longhorns star T’Vondre Sweat is a 366-pound defensive tackle who clocked a 5.27 in the 40-yard dash at the 2024 NFL combine.
Every now and then you see something at this exhibition of pure athleticism that defies logic and opens your eyes to fact that you’re witnessing the evolution of athletic greatness.
The crazy part about it is that Sweat, who won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s top interior lineman and was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, was listed at 6-4 and 362 pounds and he says he played at a comfortable 365 all season.
Weight Always An Issue For Sweat In Talks With NFL Teams
With a frame that massive, despite his success on the field as one half of college football’s most formidable defensive tackle combo alongside Byron Murphy II, Sweat is always asked about his weight.
It’s the never-ending conversation, but Sweat is rated as the third-best defensive tackle in the draft, behind Murphy and Johnny Newton of Illinois.
The dynamic talent is projected as a late first-round or second-round pick, for a reason.
He’s fleet of foot for sure, which enhances his profile as a player who commands double-teams, clogs the middle and frees up opportunities for other playmakers to feast on the QB.
Sweat warned everyone prior to his amazing feat, that his 40 time was going to shock some folks.
“When I run this 40, I’m going to shock a lot of y’all,” he promised reporters prior to running.
Most of them laughed it off.
Until he ran.
ESPN Get Up Crew In Awe Of Sweat’s Speed
“That’s freakish, freakish,” said ESPN analyst Damien Woody, who was known to pack on the pounds in his NFL playing days.
His co-host Mike Greenberg gave it an analytical twist to put the feat into perspective.
“At 366 pounds and you run a 5.27, if you just do it pound for pound … it would be like an 180- pound person running a 2.59. If a corner ran 2.59 in the 40, he’d go first (in the draft). Thats how fast he was moving.”
The man they have been calling “Loaf, Big Loaf, Meatloaf. Anything loaf,” since his multi-sport days, has met with pretty much every NFL team during the combine or at the Senior Bowl in January.
This 40 time that is all the rave should put to rest any questions about his agility. But NFL teams will still be concerned about whether or not Sweat will have the motor to turn up on offensive linemen in the fourth quarter of games.
In college, that wasn’t a problem and Sweat disputed any opinions to the contrary.
“A hundred percent, I can,” said Sweat, whose NFL idols are Ndamukong Suh and Fletcher Cox, (combined 25 years in the league).
“I mean, as you saw this past year, I did what I had to do. Y’all will see what I do at the next level.”
Sweat Is Prototype Defensive Tackle With Wheels
What he does is fly and having a defensive tackle with that kind of speed is a luxury most NFL teams don’t have. Also, Sweat isn’t some unknown player or hidden gem. In fact, he’s bringing some attention and glamour to a position and body type that traditionally doesn’t get that admiration from football fans.
He can also catch TDs if called upon to do so. He’s different.
For the naysayers who continue to ask why the NFL combine is needed, well, there’s your answer. Sweat will be remembered for his 40 time at the NFL combine for the rest of his career. His moment is already a part of NFL history, and he hasn’t even been drafted yet. Ten years from now, it could be a worthy footnote in the story of an NFL legend.
