Titans’ second-rounder motivated to squash post-draft criticism

In a video posted to Instagram on Monday, Sweat explained he was putting in some extra work to prove all of those doubters wrong.

“I’m out here working because I’ve got to prove people wrong,” Sweat said. “Everybody is stereotyping me out here. But you know what, I’m going to continue to do my work in silence and I’m going to keep being a big dog.”

The Titans’ selection of Sweat was received negatively by several draft analysts including Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski, SI.com’s Matt Verderame and CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso.

“Yes, Sweat can be a force in the middle of the defensive line alongside Jeffery Simmons, but it’s surprising that his perceived maturity issues and concerns about his work ethic didn’t seem to affect his draft status,” Sobleski wrote.

“On the field, Sweat registered five sacks in five years with the Longhorns. He’s talented, but there are unanswered questions,” Verderame said.

“Not as good against the run or double teams as his size indicates,” Trapasso stated. “Probably two-down player in the NFL. Tennessee did need more size inside along the DL, but this is too early for a limited player.”

However, for all the criticism the Sweat selection got from so-called draft experts, Titans general manager Ran Carthon told 104.5 The Zone on Monday that he received several text messages and phone calls from other GMs telling him that he took a player they also had their eyes on in Round 2.