Why was former Texas star and top 2024 NFL Draft prospect T’Vondre Sweat arrested?

With less than three weeks remaining before the start of the 2024 NFL Draft, one of the top defensive prospects in this year’s class was detained by law enforcement officials over the weekend for reasons that are less than ideal.

T’Vondre Sweat arrested on DWI in Austin

According to reports on Sunday, T’Vondre Sweat was arrested and held at Travis County Jail in Austin, Texas. Earlier that day, the 22-year-old was arrested by Austin Police arrested the defensive on a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated. A class B misdemeanor in accordance with Texas law, the offense is punishable by up to 180 days in jail, a fine of up to $2,000, or both. It is understood that a bond of $3,000 was set for Sweat, and was subsequently paid via “personal bond” sometime before 3:45 p.m. CT. At this time it remains unclear as to whether Sweat has any future court appearance.

Needless to say, the news comes at a moment when the expectation is that Sweat will be a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft which runs from April 25th - 27th. As a fifth-year senior Sweat won the 2023 Outland Trophy as the most outstanding interior defensive lineman in the nation and was named the Big 12 Conference defensive player of the year. Where numbers are concerned, he registered 45 tackles (18 solo), eight tackles for a loss, and two sacks, on the way to a Texas Big 12 championship win, while also playing a key role in the team’s run to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.

At 6 foot 4′ and weighing in at 365lbs, Sweat is widely regarded as the top nose tackle available in the draft and is currently ranked as the No. 87 overall prospect by CBS Sports. Offering rare size and mobility, Sweat is actually the younger brother of Philadelphia Eagles pass rusher, Josh Sweat. That of course brings us to the NFL itself and Sweat’s future. Now, while it’s unlikely that he will face any kind of disciplinary action from the league itself, having not yet joined a team, it’s quite likely - as stated before - that his Draft stock may be negatively impacted. At this point, we can only watch and wait.