Steve Sarkisian on the selections of T'Vondre Sweat, Jonathon Brooks, Adonai Mitchell in the 2024 NFL Draft
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian released comments on Friday night in reaction to T’Vondre Sweat, Jonathon Brooks, and Adonai Mitchell being picked on day two of the 2024 NFL Draft.
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The selections of Sweat, Brooks, and Mitchell, along with first-round draftees Byron Murphy and Xavier Worthy, meant five of the first 52 picks were Longhorns. Those five picks within the first three rounds were behind Michigan (7), Washington (7), Alabama (6), Florida State (6), and Georgia (6).
Sweat, a fifth-year senior from Huntsville (Texas), was picked by the Tennessee Titans with the 38th overall pick.
“T’Vondre’s a great choice for the Tennessee Titans and has a bright future in the NFL,” said Sarkisian. “He’s a guy that brings a lot of value because he can do a multitude of things. He’s not your prototypical big guy – line him up and put your nose over the center – there’s much more to his game than just that. You see the big body, but what makes him truly special is he’s an extremely athletic guy who’s at his best when he’s moving around, slanting, penetrating, and making plays. He’s more than capable of lining up and holding the point of attack, and we did plenty of that, but because he was a big man that can move like he does, he was able to make really big plays at critical moments. Time and time again, he used his quickness and strength in key short-yardage and third and fourth down situations to make plays. He was making plays for us at critical moments where he always had enough in his tank to go and do that and be a really impactful every down player for us.
“The thing I loved about it the most was T’Vondre is a guy who really grew into his body. He wasn’t always 350-plus pounds. He grew into that, so he was finding his way early in his career here, but in the end, became one of the most reliable guys on the team. His teammates voted him team captain, they voted him team MVP, he’s an All-American, and he won the Outland Trophy.
“T’Vondre has a bright future because he’s an extremely talented player with a really high football IQ. He can diagnose blocking schemes, will take on double teams, has an innate ability of getting off blocks and making plays, especially at critical moments. And he has unique pass rush ability for a guy his size because of the athleticism he possesses. T-Sweat is going to be a tremendous player that brings a lot of energy to the locker room and will be a great teammate for the Titans. I’m really looking forward to watching him in the NFL.”
Brooks, a third-year player from Hallettsville (Texas) was taken by the Carolina Panthers with the 46th overall pick.
“I love Jonathon Brooks and his story, and I couldn’t be happier to see him drafted in the second round by the Panthers,” said Sarkisian. “He’s a guy that absolutely worked and earned this opportunity and Carolina got a great one. Jonathon was a guy that came in with the same class that included Ja’Tavion Sanders, Byron Murphy, Xavier Worthy and all those guys. He wasn’t the most highly touted player, he came to Texas knowing Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson were already on the team, and he worked at his craft and really waited his turn. For two years he was playing behind those guys, soaking up everything he could from them, and when he got a chance to go in, he made big plays for us. Then year three comes and he starts getting all the reps. And you could see the natural runner in him blossom, the hands out of the backfield, the intelligence in pass protection, and he just really took off.
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“I think there’s a lot of value in perseverance, especially in a day and age in college football where it’s all about the transfer portal and what can I get now. This guy learned and studied under two great pros who are playing in the NFL now, waited his time, but continued to grind away. Then when his number got called, he took full advantage of it. He had a heck of a year for us. I wish we had him for the whole run there at the end, but he attacked his rehab from the knee injury like he did preparing for his opportunity at Texas. Despite the injury, he remained as a critical team leader and was so valuable to our young running backs’ development. I just spent some time with him the other day, he looks great, said he feels great, and Carolina is going to get a lot of value out of Jonathon at this pick because he could have been a first-round guy if he’d been healthy. Everything he’s getting right now he’s earned. He’s the top running back off the board, and I couldn’t be more excited for him and his family.
“Jonathon’s a natural runner, he’s got great instincts running the ball, has a really good feel for making people miss in the open field and has exceptional contact balance. I think he’s a three-down back that can play on first and second down, but also is reliable in pass protection and has very good hands out of the backfield. I can’t wait to watch him in the NFL. As good of a player as he is, he’s an even better person. He has a great future ahead of him.”
Mitchell, a transfer from Georgia, was picked by the Indianapolis Colts with the 52nd overall pick.
“What an awesome opportunity and a tremendous landing spot for AD Mitchell to be going to Indianapolis,” said Sarkisian. “The first thing I think of with AD is he’s been a winner his whole life and he’s going to bring that to the Colts. Three years in college football and he went to the College Football Playoff every year, won two national championships, and caught a touchdown in every one of those games. He’s a guy who is very competitive, is a relentless worker, knows how to win and does the work that it takes to be a winner. AD was an awesome addition to our team in that he was a great complement to Xavier Worthy. Having somebody on the other side of him that defenses had to worry about was such a key to our success.
“He was a tremendous red zone weapon for us, having caught 11 touchdowns last year, and a lot of those came in critical moments when we needed to have it. The moment was never too big for him, which is exactly what we thought coming in with all the success he had in College Football Playoff games. There were games that he took over and he was the focal point. But I think the biggest thing was his ability to make big plays in critical moments when it was needed. With the size, the movement and ball skills with the ball in the air, and the red area weapon he is, AD is just a fantastic all-around player.
“AD’s skill set translates really well to the NFL. He’s got the size and speed, but what makes him truly unique is his ability to get in and out breaks for a guy who’s that big and fast. He has the ball skills to make the contested catches, which is critical as the coverage gets tighter in the NFL. The Colts got a great one in AD, their fans will absolutely love him as a player and person, too. He’ll be a great fit there and I’m looking forward to watching him do great things in the NFL.”
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Longhorns waiting to hear their name called on Saturday include Christian Jones, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Ryan Watts, Jordan Whittington, Jaylan Ford, Keilan Robinson, Jett Bush, and Ryan Sanborn.
