NFL Draft 2024 consensus Big Board: T’Vondre Sweat tumbles, Maason Smith rises

As the 2024 NFL Draft class continues to take shape, it’s time again to take stock of which prospects are dominating the early-round conversation.

The Athletic’s consensus Big Board combines rankings from a wide range of draft experts to identify how the top prospects are viewed relative to the rest of their class. In theory, by the time we reach draft weekend, these rankings should help give us a handle on how the picks could (or, at least, should) play out.

Let’s see how things have shifted since our previous board:

A few thoughts on the updated board from draft analyst Nick Baumgardner:

T’Vondre Sweat’s stock takes a dip

Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat was one of the biggest fallers in this week’s consensus update, dropping from No. 47 to No. 62. Sweat was arrested earlier this month on a DWI charge in Texas. The fact the arrest happened at all will impact Sweat’s stock with some teams, but the timing of it — coming mere weeks before the draft — might be a bigger issue.

Some scouts have expressed concerns about Sweat’s maturity level. One, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, labeled him a “class clown” and questioned his commitment to football. (Brugler gave Sweat a fourth-round grade in The Beast.)

On talent alone, Sweat could draw a borderline first-round grade from some NFL evaluators. At 6-foot-4, 366 pounds with great burst and quickness, Sweat’s versatility inside and presence as someone who’s hard to move could make him a truly dominant NFL run defender. However, if he’s not consistent, he’s going to struggle. Sweat has maintained a weight in the 360-pound range throughout the pre-draft process, though some scouts told Brugler that Sweat was closer to 380 last season.

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Can Maason Smith benefit from Sweat’s slide?

Maybe it’s the fact Sweat is falling — or maybe it’s the fact The Beast annually resets so many other opinions out there around this time of year — but LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith jumped up 14 spots this week (to No. 69). It’s worth noting that Brugler had the 6-5, 306-pounder ranked No. 64 on his most recent Top 100.

Physically, Smith is a first-round talent, in just about every area. He has 35 1/2-inch arms, an 84 5/8-inch wingspan with great play strength and natural explosion. He’s an absolute house of a man. Smith’s knock-back power, even when he loses leverage, is always impressive.

However (and there are a few “howevers” here) Smith also missed 13 games in 2022 with an ACL tear and then was suspended for the first game of last season due to receiving an improper benefit. His lower half is stiff, he plays very tall, and his pass rush tool set isn’t overly deep. The range on Smith is going to be pretty wide, as he’s almost exclusively a traits-based prospect at this point. But he’s still just 21 years old and offers a lot of stuff you cannot teach.

Official 40yd dash times for DTs:

4.78 Braden Fiske
4.85 Mekhi Wingo, Brandon Dorlus
4.87 Byron Murphy II
4.89 Ruke Orhorhoro
4.91 Kris Jenkins
4.97 Jaden Crumedy
4.99 DeWayne Carter
5.01 Maason Smith
5.02 Tyler Davis

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) February 29, 2024

Another DT on the move

Apparently, this is a defensive line update.

One player whose consensus ranking stands out as being quite different from where he lands on Brugler’s Top 100 is Florida State DT Braden Fiske. Fiske may have been the star of the combine earlier this spring, as he put up terrific testing numbers across the board and was outstanding in just about every area during on-field testing. The consensus board pushed Fiske all the way up to No. 41.

Brugler, however, has a third-round grade on Fiske (No. 71). And Fiske’s arm length (31 inches) remains highly concerning. It’s considerably below average inside and will create issues for Fiske if he can’t beat his opponent immediately off the snap.

Braden Fiske is an animal. pic.twitter.com/vx4Y2jTNdp

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 20, 2024

That’s his game, and he’s terrific at it — Fiske’s body twitch, agility and explosion allow him to get off the ball in a flash. However, if a guard or center also gets off the ball quick and is accurate with his punch, Fiske is going to lose almost every time because of his length. It’s hard for him to generate much after he’s lost ground, so it remains to be seen exactly how much he can give at the next level.

It’s not unlike the conversation regarding Smith’s range, but for different reasons. Fiske’s attitude and effort will overcome size on some boards; it won’t on others.

A shakeup at CB1

It looks like the consensus board is torn about CB1 in this class.

Alabama’s Terrion Arnold held that spot for most of the process. However, this week, Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell jumped up one spot to No. 14, one ahead of Arnold. That race is going to be very interesting to track on draft night — and it’ll probably be a judgment call, based on who’s picking in the teens and what attributes they prefer at the position. Mitchell is bigger with more explosion and speed, while Arnold is probably more versatile and better defined at this point in his career.

Both guys are day one starters, though.

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(Photo of T’Vondre Sweat: Michael Wade / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)