Swann was drafted in the first round of the 1991 NFL Draft with the sixth overall pick.[6] On April 24, 1991, Swann signed a five-year contract with the Phoenix Cardinals.[5] In 1995 and 1996, Swann was named an NFL All-Pro and selected for the NFC Pro Bowl team.
In 1998, Swann resigned with the Cardinals for a five-year, $25 million contract with a $7.5 million signing bonus,[7] the richest contract ever signed by a Cardinals player to date.[8] Because he was recovering from knee surgeries, Swann did not practice with the Cardinals in the 1999 training-camp period.[9] In 1999, he played nine games and recorded four sacks and a 42-yard interception.[10]
The Cardinals waived Swann on July 11, 2000.[11] Two weeks later, he signed a one-year, veteran minimum deal with the Carolina Panthers along with Reggie White.[12]
^Duckworth, Ed (September 15, 1996). "Tobin building confidence". The Providence Journal. pp. C8. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2017. Six years ago, the 6-foot-5, 295-pounder dropped out of Wake Technical College in Raleigh, N.C., to play for the Lynn, Mass.-based Bay State Titans of the short-lived Minor League Football System.