The southern night air was filled with the sounds of sweeping swings and the crack of golf balls as former Mississippi State defensive lineman Montez Sweat awaited word on his future employment plans.
Sweat joined family and friends at an NFL Draft watch for the first round of last Thursday’s NFL Draft at Topgolf in Atlanta.
For a man that just five days prior decided not to attend the event in Nashville, a driving range was a rather fitting place to spend the night.
It was unassuming and calming — a staunch difference from the glitz and glam of the draft’s green room on Broadway.
“That was kind of the whole point, to try to take everyone’s mind off the draft and golf,” Sweat said in a text message. “It didn’t work out too well, but we definitely tried.”
The monstrous defensive end had been slotted anywhere from a top-10 pick to the back end of the first round. A heart condition that was allegedly misdiagnosed in the days leading up to the draft added to the uncertainty as to where Sweat would be chosen.
Toward the back end of the draft’s opening night, his phone rang. On the other end of the line was Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden. Sweat’s time had come.
Gruden informed the MSU man that the Redskins would take him with the No. 26 pick after trading the No. 46 overall pick in this year’s draft and a second-round selection in 2020 to the Indianapolis Colts.
At 8:13 p.m. central time, Sweat was officially off the board. He was heading to the nation’s capital.
“I was just waiting, hoping, praying to God that somebody would give me a shot,” he said. “It just fired me up, really.”
***
With each selection made Thursday through Saturday, shots of players embracing their kin as dreams become reality are constant.
What those telecasts don’t show is the flurrying 48 hours of a first round pick’s life.
Around 2 p.m. Friday afternoon Sweat boarded a private jet commissioned by the Redskins bound for Washington.
His grandparents, Charles and Deborah Sweat, and sister, Yvetta, tagged along.
“That was crazy, man,” Sweat said through a chuckle. “It was a life that I’ve never been exposed to.”
The first stop upon landing was the Inova Sports Performance Center at Redskins Park –the team’s practice facility in Ashburn, Virginia.
The headquarters are rather removed from the city as it sits well outside Interstate 495 — or “The Beltway” as locals oft refer to it.
An indoor practice bubble skies high above the other buildings on property. Across the parking lot are the team offices, locker rooms and practice fields. The media trailer is tucked in between.
With his family along for the ride, Sweat met with a handful of the Redskins staff in the team’s war room as they prepared for the second round of the draft.
“You could feel the intensity in there,” he said.
A dinner with Malcolm Blacken, the director of player development followed — another chance for Sweat’s family to meet the Redskins staff looking after him on his NFL journey.
Twenty-four hours prior, Sweat was in the midst of a draft night slide. The next day he was living the dizzying NFL dream.
“It was definitely moving fast,” he said. “But nonetheless I could always find myself sitting down, just looking in the air like, ‘Wow, I really made it to the NFL. I’m really going to be a Washington Redskin.'”
***
From the time Sweat was drafted he was bombarded with congratulatory messages.
One particular onlooker slid into his Instagram notifications — Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
Slotted as a top-ten pick on some NFL mock drafts, Haskins suffered a draft night dip of his own. The Redskins landed him with the No. 15 overall pick.
“To be honest, I’m more motivated now than ever,” Haskins said in an interview with ESPN that night. “There’s a bigger chip on my shoulder. The league done messed up.”
With the cherry blossoms blooming and sunshine flashing off the reflecting pool at the base of the Jefferson Memorial, Haskins and Sweat joined together for an introductory press conference in the heart of D.C.’s historic downtown Friday at 11:30 a.m.
The former was plenty familiar to local fans. Haskins played high school football at Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, after moving from New Jersey.
“Really excited to be back home,” he said. “Looking forward to competing and earning my spot on the team.”
With a reassuring nod, Haskins then looked toward Sweat with an heir of support.
It was like the first day of freshman year all over again for the later. As so many begrudging students are asked at the beginning of each college semester, Sweat introduced himself to the crowd.
“I’m Montez Sweat and I’m from Atlanta, Georgia,” he said through a shy smile. “(Hail to the Redskins) most definitely.”
The gathered D.C. media questioned the newest members of the burgundy and gold on everything from their on-field exploits to their respective draft night drops — something both players have embraced.
“We both shared that experience with each other and we’ve really got a chip on our shoulder,” Sweat said later. “They really done messed up letting us get that far down the draft board.”
***
As Saturday came to a close, a few more meetings with Redskins coaches, front office officials and owner Dan Snyder ensued. Then it was back to the Atlanta area following the near-48 hour excursion.
Supporters have continued to flood his inbox.
Haskins started a group message with Washington’s rookie class as they begin to form their own bond.
Redskins defensive end Ryan Kerrigan has checked in on Sweat too.
Kerrigan has played all eight of his professional seasons in Washington. He’s been through the tumult with a franchise that constantly finds itself in the purgatory of near .500 records. He’s also Sweat’s newest supporter.
“Ryan Kerrigan reached out to me, letting me know that he was going to be my big brother,” Sweat said.
Sweat will spend the next few weeks jumping back into a training routine as rookie mini camp begins in May.
More pressing, he has a chance to breathe. The uncertainty of draft night is gone. So, too, is the whirlwind two days a first-round pick endures.
For Sweat, football has again become the focus.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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