5 NFL players who will become sophomore sensations

I swear this post isn’t going to be about every player who was drafted out of Mississippi State University, but here we are. One player who fell down draft boards over a year ago was defensive end Montez Sweat. He initially went to Michigan State as a tight end before transferring to Mississippi State. Health issues at the combine knocked him down to No. 26 overall in 2019.

Even in a chaotic situation in the nation’s capital, Sweat had a strong rookie season for the Redskins. He had 50 tackles, 13 quarterback hits and seven sacks in 16 games for the Washington professional football team. Though the Redskins’ strength as a team was along the defensive line, they only went 3-13 and ended up with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Washington used that No. 2 overall pick on another defensive end in Chase Young out of Ohio State. This is a Redskins defense that already has Ryan Kerrigan and Jonathan Allen on it. How good can this pass rush be? It’ll be spectacular under new head coach Ron Rivera, who comes to Washington with a massive chip on his shoulder after being let go by the Carolina Panthers.

Though offensive viability will inevitably hold this team back, Washington will be close to a .500 team this fall in the first year of the Rivera era in D.C. Sweat was a phenomenal player during his redshirt senior season at Mississippi State, taking home First-Team All-American honors. Look forward to a sack party we haven’t in the NFL since the 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars. No Sweat.