NASHVILLE – Defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat is a big man with a big personality.

And, on Friday night, the Titans thought he was too good to pass up in the second round of the NFL Draft, so they picked him.

"When I got the call, it was unbelievable," Sweat said. "Thank God they gave me a chance. Now, I am ready. I can't wait to get up there and go to work.

"I am ready to rock and roll and go to Tennessee."

The 6-foot-4, 366-pound Sweat was taken with the 38th overall pick after starring at the University of Texas.

Sweat said one of his first priorities is to lose some weight, "and if I go to 355, 350 (pounds)," he said, "most likely I am going to be a Hall of Famer."

"He's a big man that's going to create problems in the middle, is hard to move," Titans General Manager Ran Carthon said of Sweat. "We're excited about the pick."

Sweat played in 62 games, with 18 starts, over the past five seasons for the Longhorns. He tallied 128 tackles with five sacks, and 17.5 tackles for a loss.

In 2023, Sweat recorded 45 tackles and two sacks, along with eight tackles for a loss. He won the Outland Trophy as the nation's best interior lineman. Sweat was also tabbed a first team All-American performer by the Associated Press, and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

On Thursday, the Titans drafted Alabama lineman JC Latham in the first round.

"I think we've added maybe 700 pounds worth of players in two picks," Titans Coach Brian Callahan said. "But that's on purpose, that's by design. It's a big man's league, and you need big people to move the line of scrimmage. We wanted to make sure we invested in the right players into the fronts, those are important parts of building a football team. And, it's hard to pass up people that are of that size, and have that kind of playing ability.

"We think T'Vondre can be a three-down player. He has the ability to push the pocket, has explosiveness. He can play the run as well as anybody in the class."

The Titans did their homework on Sweat, who made a 30 visit to the team in the pre-draft process.

More recently, the team sent a contingent of officials to meet with Sweat and his family in Texas.

The team felt comfortable in picking Sweat.

"I knew they believed in me, and they saw something out of me," Sweat said. "I am going to bring everything to the team. I am going to give it my all. I am just going to put my head down and work and keep balling."