Eagles draft pick puts in the Sweat to crack deep D-line rotation

PHILADELPHIA – Josh Sweat is not very patient.

On the one hand, he wants to play regularly for the Eagles, eager to prove he can live up to his high school billing as one of the top recruits in the nation before suffering a devastating knee injury his senior year.

On the other hand, Sweat is part of a deep and veteran rotation at defensive end, knowing that he's stuck behind Brandon Graham, once he heals from ankle surgery, along with Chris Long, Michael Bennett and Derek Barnett, the Eagles' first-round pick in 2017.

But that hasn't stopped Sweat from, well, putting in the sweat to earn a spot in the defensive line rotation.

"I feel like I’m working my way up into a really good spot," Sweat said. "I feel like I can help the team out a lot this year. I don’t want to be sitting out. I know I can help."

Sweat didn't practice Friday after suffering what Eagles head coach Doug Pederson called "a lower body injury." Pederson said Sweat's injury and that of tight end Richard Rodgers (upper body) are "small, nagging things."

Pederson hopes both will be ready for the Eagles' preseason opener Thursday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Eagles had the day off Saturday before returning for the open practice at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday night.

But really, Sweat knows he has the best of both worlds with the Eagles. That's because the Eagles' fourth-round draft pick out of Florida State is a sort of apprentice this season. He can learn from the veterans while knowing that in 2019, he'll have a great chance of taking over.

Graham and Long are on the final year of their contracts, while Bennett was signed through 2020, but only has guaranteed money for this season. It's possible that at least two of the three won't return, thus opening up a spot for Sweat to pair with Barnett.

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In the meantime, it doesn't hurt for Sweat to learn things from veterans with a wealth of knowledge.

"Between me, (Graham) and Michael Bennett, we probably got 150 sacks between the three of us," Long said. "So there’s a lot of experience there. It’s good for a kid to come in and learn. And the good thing about me, (Graham) and Mike is we all have different styles, so he can take from everybody. It’s not like you have one vet who might have a lot of good information, but his style doesn’t really fit your style. He’s got options that he can learn from. He’s really open to learning."

The sack total for the trio is actually 156. 

That isn't lost on Pederson, either. 

"For me as a head coach, that's encouraging," he said. "I love seeing that. I love seeing the veteran player take the young player under his wing and sort of mentor him. I think that's important as we go because you never know when obviously you're going to need one of those young players to step up like we did last year. Having a veteran player around has been very beneficial."

Sweat was on a path where he could have been starting right away in the NFL, and likely as a top-10 draft pick. Entering his senior year of high school in Chesapeake, Virginia, Sweat was considered by most recruiting services as the top high school player in the nation.

That season, Sweat suffered a torn ACL, MCL and PCL. He committed to Florida State while recovering from the injury. Sweat ended up missing just one game in his three seasons with the Seminoles.

But Sweat had only 14.5 sacks total in three seasons, and there were questions about his knee heading into the draft. The Eagles are convinced that's why Sweat, who's 6-foot-5, 251 pounds, fell to them in the fourth round.

"I’m talking about he’s a top-five talent; he just slid because of the injury," Long said. "That’s really evident when he’s on the field. I think he’s got a really elite burst off the line, really good bend, and he’s got length where he can sink a long arm and turn it into power. I’m excited to see him develop."

Sweat is excited to see that, too. He admits that he expected to go higher in the draft, and he's using that as motivation. He's more obsessed with proving that he deserves a spot in the defensive line rotation.

"I’m keeping track of (who was drafted ahead), but it’s not eating at me or anything like that," Sweat said. "It’s part of the reason why I’m here. A lot of guys have a chip on their shoulders, and we want a lot of guys to have that chip. That’s part of the reason I go 110 percent every day.

"I didn’t know how long I was going to play after I got hurt. I worked my way back up. I’m feeling great now, but I definitely have a chip."

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.