DE Montez Sweat Won’t Attend NFL Draft

It sounds like Montez Sweat‘s camp may be preparing for some draft-day disappointment. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), the Mississippi State defensive end will not be attending the NFL draft. Sweat was previously listed among the 23 attendees, but recent reports may have forced the lineman to rethink his spot in the green room.

“My devoted grandparents and a host of other family members helped me to get to this point in my life,” Sweat said (via Schefter on Twitter), “and I wanted to celebrate this special day with my family so we all chose to do so where it all started for me, Stone Mountain, Georgia.”

We heard yesterday that a heart condition has caused some teams to entirely remove Sweat from their draft board. Sweat has an enlarged heart, and some teams’ doctors have noted that there is no example of a player dealing with this issue in the current NFL. On the flip side, there’s a sense that some teams will be willing to take the risk, with cardiologists indicating that Sweat would be able to have an NFL career.

Despite the heart condition, Sweat managed to appear in 26 games over his final two seasons with the Bulldogs, compiling 22.5 sacks over that span. His known visits were with the Texans, Bengals, 49ers, Bills, Raiders, Packers and Buccaneers. While Sweat was previously expected to be a first-rounder, it’s uncertain when he’ll be selected during next week’s draft. As our own Sam Robinson pointed out, Maurice Hurst, viewed by some as a first-round prospect last year, fell to the fifth round last year because of a different heart condition.

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