Seattle, WA
Brock's Seattle Seahawks Draft Profile: 'Unblockable' Texas DT
Adding a player on the offensive and defensive line is often referred to as “beefing up” said unit, and there’s very few that would beef up the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive line more than Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat.
Salk: The perfect fit for Seattle Seahawks in draft isn’t who you think
The 22-year-old Sweat measures in a 6 foot 4 and 366 pounds and helped anchor a stout Longhorns defensive front alongside fellow standout Byron Murphy. Sweat won the Outland Trophy, which is given to college football’s best interior offensive and defensive lineman, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and was an Associated Press first-team All-America pick last season. He helped lead Texas to a berth in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
He was also the subject of former NFL quarterback and FOX college football analyst Brock Huard’s Seattle Seahawks Draft Profile on Wednesday. Huard received an up-close look at Sweat when he called two of Texas’ games for FOX.
“In both of those games, both offensive coordinators, Nate Scheelhaase for Iowa State (and) Marcus Tuiasosopo at Rice, said point blank that you have to have a plan (for Sweat),” Huard said. “You can’t just go in and run your stuff. You’ve got to account for this guy in every single one of your run snaps and just saying, ‘well, we’ll double team him.’ That’s not good enough. Sometimes you have to triple team to just move him off of his spot and, boy, he was an immovable force.”
Huard pointed out that Sweat isn’t just a big body that eats up space. He puts up stats. Sweat registered 45 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks and four pass deflections during his award-winning senior campaign. He’s also displayed durability in playing 62 games during his five-season college career.
“He posts,” Huard said. “… He’s not a big man that finds a way to not play. He plays game in and game out. The biggest challenge is playing play in and play out once you get beyond about four (plays). He’ll give you a four really good ones and then at 366 (pounds), he’s got to huff and puff his way off the field, get a little bit oxygen and get back on the field.”
Huard projected Sweat as a third-round pick with the potential to go late in the second round. He said the snap-count limitations are a factor in why Sweat likely won’t go higher. He also noted Sweat being viewed more as specialist against the run, but that he seemed to improve that aspect of his game last season.
“He showed this year that he’s got a little more wiggle, a little more movement, a little more endurance,” Huard said.
Sweat’s draft stock could also be hurt by his April 7 arrest for driving under the influence in Austin, Texas.
“If there is a team that would be the perfect fit to grow a guy that’s got a little immaturity in his decision making and grow the guy in his work ethic and perseverance and endurance,” Huard said, “Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed would be a pretty good group to sandwich that guy with to really grow, develop and get the very, very most out of him. He would be a pretty good fit here.”
Listen to Brock Huard’s full Seattle Seahawks Draft Profile on Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat at this link or watch the video at the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
More on the Seattle Seahawks and the NFL Draft
• Brock’s Seahawks Draft Profile: Michigan CB with WR skills
• Brock’s Seahawks Draft Profile: A complete safety
• With Seahawks’ top pick, expect the unexpected
• Final AP Mock NFL Draft: Edge with local tie to Seahawks?
• Turbin on why Seattle Seahawks should draft a QB
SEATTLE – Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington. Eastern and central Washington will reach near 100F with high fire danger. The coast and north interior will be cooler, only in the 60s to 70s.
Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Weather Watch
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds. Lightning strikes could create new fire starts and, with very dry conditions in place, any new fire could spread quickly.
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds.
What’s next:
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms. The heaviest showers will be in the morning hours and will turn more scattered into the evening hours.
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and chance of thunderstorms.
Looking Ahead:
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine. We will start to see highs reach the upper 80s to low 90s by early next week.
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
After so many disappointing seasons with the interior offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks made a commitment last offseason to improve the unit. They started one big step at a time by drafting North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in the first round, 18th overall pick, of the 2025 NFL Draft. This one was one of the last steps for the Seahawks to create one of the most productive offenses in the NFL.
Zabel wasn’t perfect in his rookie season, but he was good enough to validate the decision to draft him in the first round, and he showed improvement. Zabel is already a favorite among some Seahawks fans and some media outlets as they love his determination and spirit. It was a big jump from the FCS collegiate level to the NFL and this season, he has a chance to show why he might be a top-half-of-the-league guard.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Higher?
The Seahawks wanted a determined workhorse when looking for a guard. That’s exactly what they got in Zabel. Last season, he appeared in 1,051 snaps, which is only 10 fewer snaps than right tackle Abraham Lucas, who had the most offensive snaps. Zabel got better as the season progressed. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 81.5 and a run-block grade of 81.2 in Week 14 through the NFC Championship Game.
There were times last season when he looked like a monster against several defenders. He was pushing some defenders completely out of the way on pulling plays and even ran to defenders after the pass-catcher caught the ball. This is the mentality the Seahawks expect him to have going into his second season in the league. He has more experience and the complete trust of the team to be a franchise player on par with Lucas and left tackle Charles Cross. If he continues to improve, he will be another steal for the Seahawks.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Lower?
There were times last season when he didn’t quite catch up to the learning curve of the NFL. Zabel allowed two sacks, four hits and 24 pressures in 2025. The Seahawks expect those numbers to decrease significantly as he is experienced and capable of playing at an efficient level. While Zabel is impressive, he might not be the best player the Seahawks have selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. That honor belongs to slot cornerback Nick Emmanwori, who is stepping up to be the steal of the draft.
Zabel is easily one of the best second-year players and is one of the top offensive linemen, but there are players behind him because they haven’t proven to be consistently explosive for the Seahawks. There is going to be even more pressure on him this upcoming season. The Seahawks hired a more run-friendly coach in Brian Fleury as offensive coordinator. His ranking at the end of the season might be much better if he improves, or worse if he fails to reach expectations.
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SEATTLE – High pressure continues early this week, leading to more sunshine and warmer afternoon temperatures. Skies will be sunny, warm and dry through the middle of the week.
High pressure continues early this week, leading to more sunshine and warmer afternoon temperatures.
What’s next:
Highs today in the low to mid 80s for parts of western Washington, with highs in central and eastern Washington getting close to 100 degrees. The coast and northern interior will remain in the 70s with mostly sunny skies.
Highs today in the low to mid 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Risk Levels
The Fire Risk Levels this week will continue to elevate as we see warming temperatures and increased chance of thunderstorms. East of the cascades is already dry and warm, so the increased chance of new fire starts will be something to watch with the storms.
The Fire Risk Levels this week will continue to elevate as we see warming temperatures and increased chance of thunderstorms. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Looking Ahead:
Temperatures will continue to warm for western Washington through midweek, before we see another low pressure system swing inland Thursday. This low will increase changes of showers and isolated thunderstorms on Thursday, and temperatures will be back to normal for this time of year. This cool down is short-lived as high pressure builds again and highs warm back up into the 80s by the weekend.
Temperatures will continue to warm for western Washington through midweek, before we see another low pressure system swing in Thursday.
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To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
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