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Tommy Sweeney was by no means a high-profile recruit in High School. In fact, he was quite the opposite. Sweeney was listed as a 2 star recruit out of Ramsay New Jersey and held no scholarship offers out of High School aside from Boston College. So, naturally, Sweeney decided to opt into the Maroon and Gold and try to make a name for himself in his four years on the Heights. Over the course of those four years, Sweeney became a huge asset in the Eagles’ offense on both the blocking and receiving end.
The climb to Sweeney’s success was based off of two things: Maturation and Persistence. After seeing limited action as a red-shirt freshman, Sweeney’s lasting career began at the start of his Sophomore season where he became the starting Tight End and caught 26 passes for 353 yards and three touchdowns. However, Sweeney did not plateau at from that point on as he continued to see an increased role in the offense his junior and Senior season that caught the eyes of the entire ACC. In his Junior year, Sweeney snagged 36 catches for 512 yards and four touch downs and respectfully caught 38 passes for 348 yards and 3 touch downs in his senior season. Keep in mind that BC does not run a pass-heavy offensive set so to have a a Tight End like Sweeney put up those types of numbers is quite remarkable. In fact, his performance earned him numerous accolades including pre-season All ACC first team honors and a nomination for the John Mackey award as the best Tight End in the country.
Physical Stats
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 251 lbs
40 Yd: 4.83
Bench: 17 Reps of 225 lbs
Scouting Outlook
Overall, Tommy Sweeney is an interesting prospect for the draft. He has shown time and again that he is the build of a Tight End and the hands of a Wide Receiver. In his years at the Heights he has made some remarkable catches that have left you baffled at the fact that he is a Tight End. In addition to his great hands, he also has proven to be a physical blocker for a ‘pound the ground’ style offense. Granted, he did have the likes of A.J. Dillon, Davon Jones, Travis Levy and Jon Hilliman in the backfield who are natural play-makers, but more often or not Sweeney was involved in creating holes for the guys to run through. He would be a great addition for a run-heavy NFL team that relies on their Tight Ends in goal line situations.
The one concern that I do have with Sweeney is simply his speed. He is a little slow off the jump of the ball which can make it easy for an NFL linebackers and cornerbacks to completely take him out as a passing option. Not to mention is 40 time is well above the average for NFL Tight Ends (4.70).
Draft Outlook
Sweeney is certainly a name that NFL scouts are not going to overlook. He has the hands, the build and overall tenacity that would translate well into the league. Yet, I still think is lack of quickness and versatility might be a hindrance in him being selected in the earlier rounds. With that being said, I can safely say that Sweeney will be drafted in either the fourth or fifth round.