Bryan Bresee Scouting Report and NFL Draft Profile

Bryan Bresee Scouting Report: Clemson, DT

2023 NFL Draft Measurements

40-Yard Dash: 4.89 (official)
6’5″ / 298 lbs.

Bryan Bresee Draft Profile

Coming out of Damascus High School in Damascus, Maryland, Bryan was a two-time first-team high school All-American. During his senior season, Bresee tallied 47 tackles, including 30.5 tackles for loss, and 14 sacks while leading his team to a 13-2 record and a state championship. He would finish his high school career with 134 tackles, an impressive 80.5 tackles for loss, and 35 sacks. Not only was Bryan ranked the #1 college prospect in the state of Maryland, but he was ranked as the #1 overall prospect in the country by 247Sports. While he had plenty of offers from the nation’s top football schools, ultimately Bresee would sign with the Clemson Tigers.

College Career

Bryan made an immediate impact with the Tigers upon arrival. He would finish his freshman season with a total of 33 tackles, while making 10 starts. He managed four sacks during the season, which tied him for 3rd all-time for a freshman in Clemson history. It also was the most in the country for a freshman interior lineman. He would be named to numerous freshman All-American teams, first-team All-ACC by the Associated Press, and the ACC Rookie of the Year. His 2021 was cut short due to an ACL tear. He was still able finish with 15 tackles and earned third-team All-ACC honors during his short time on the field.

He would bounce back with a solid senior season that has put him solidly on the radar of NFL teams ahead of the NFL Draft. Only playing 329 snaps over 10 games, including seven starts, Bryan would finish the season with 16 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and two pass breakups. Just to understand the limited snaps he played this season, he played 154 snaps through just four games in 2021 before his injury. Still, Bresee made enough impact to be named a second-team All-ACC selection at the end of the season.

Overall, Bryan would play 26 games during his collegiate career, including 21 starts. He would finish his career with 64 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and nine sacks. But don’t be fooled by the stats, Bresee is a player that any NFL team would be lucky to have.

Strengths

Holds up at Point of Attack

When Bresee is asked to rush the passer, he does it well. But often times you can tell that his assignment is to clog up the line of scrimmage. When this is the case, he does a great job of holding his ground. Even when Bryan is double-teamed, he doesn’t lose ground. He does this because he plays with good leverage, something that taller linemen can struggle with at times. Instead, Bryan plays with solid balance and never let’s himself get too upright.

Moves Well

This was something that I was concerned about, seeing how he missed most of the 2021 season with an ACL tear. I do think early in the season he was still getting his legs back under him. However, by the end of the year I wouldn’t have ever known that he had such a rough injury. He followed up this improvement throughout the season with an impressive showing at the 2023 NFL Combine. He ran a solid 4.89 40-yard dash, but with a even more impressive 1.71 10-yard split. I was also impressed with his fluidity throughout the on-field drills. They often say that a player doesn’t truly find “themselves” the first season after an ACL tear. So, if he can continue to improve, whoever drafts him is going to be extremely happy.

Can Play Anywhere

While I think that he’s best suited to be a defensive tackle, Bresee will be a versatile player for his new defensive coordinator. Throughout my film study, I saw Bryan line up as a defensive tackle, nose tackle, and edge rusher. He also showed the ability to be effective with his push rush. Bresse showed multiple rush moves (the swim move seemed to be his go to) and was more effective than what his stat line would indicate.

Weaknesses

Use of Hands

There’s a lot to like about Bresee. If there was one area I think that he needs to work on, it would be using his hands to fight off offensive linemen. When his initial rush move wasn’t enough to beat his opponent, he typically just went into a bull rush. Bryan did do a nice job of extending his 32 1/2″ arms in order to create distance between himself and the offensive linemen, but he still never really disengaged them consistently. While his strength was good enough to overcome this at the college level, I would suspect him to have a more difficult time in the NFL if he doesn’t improve.

Injury History

I’ve already mentioned the ACL tear that forced him to miss all but four games in 2021. But that’s not the only injury that Bryan has dealt with in his career. He also had to have surgery on his shoulder and missed a couple of games in 2023 due to a kidney infection. Bresee himself says that he’s completely healthy and ready to go. Also, I didn’t hear anything negative coming out of the medical checks during his time at the combine. Still, this is something that NFL teams are going to need to be comfortable with going forward.

Bryan Bresee Draft Stock

Depending on where you look, you’ll get a slightly different opinion of where Bresee ranks. For example, NFL Mock Draft Database currently show Bryan ranked as the 22nd overall prospect. If you look over at ESPN, you would see him ranked at the 28th overall prospect. But NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah has him ranked as his 33rd overall prospect. For the most part, Bresee is considered to be a first round draft pick.

Final Thoughts on Bryan Bresee

I came off really impressed with Bresee throughout this process. He shows good flexibility, balance, and strength and is far more productive than his stats show. The fact that he did put together the film that he did this season, while coming off an ACL tear makes it even more impressive. Personally, for myself, I would absolutely stunned if Bresee wasn’t selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Considering the issues facing Jalen Carter, Bresee should now be in a solid competition with him and Pitt’s Calijah Kancey to be the first defensive tackle taken in this year’s draft.