The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Chris Braswell.
Braswell is one of those prospects who will find a place in the NFL as either a starter at OLB in a base 5-2 front or as a sub-front edge pass rusher, or both, as his career develops.
Braswell’s game on tape is built on power more than higher-level athleticism, and that's obvious when you look at his pass-rush approach. He is much more straight-line linear than loose and flexible. That leads to Braswell being a speed-to-power rusher with a highly effective one-arm stab much more than a bend-the-edge motorcycle lean pass rusher who can consistently win challenging offensive tackles on the high side and clearing the arc. Braswell showed an effective speed-to-power conversion initially challenging the high side and threatening the edge before driving into offensive tackles with velocity and explosive power,
One thing that consistently stood out was Braswell had an explosive closing burst to the quarterback with impressive short-area acceleration. The more you watch Braswell the more you appreciate his natural strength and explosive power, and those almost always transition effectively to the next level. It would not be a surprise if as Braswell develops and gains more experience he becomes a core piece of a defensive front in the base defense and the sub-defense.
There is a Matt Judon comparison to be made when Judon came out of Grand Valley State and was a fifth-round pick of the Ravens. Judon was a little bigger (270 pounds), but keep in mind that Judon did not start a game as a rookie and did not develop as an NFL pass rusher until his second season
Braswell was a highly regarded 5-start recruit from Maryland and played four years at Alabama, becoming a dominant player in 2023
Braswell was predominantly an edge pass rusher in Alabama’s defense, but there were pass-rush snaps in which he lined up inside at 3-technique and 4i. Braswell also had snaps in which he aligned as the overhang defender or walked out over the slot, and there were snaps in which he dropped into underneath zone coverage. His sack vs. Ole Miss provided a great snapshot of Braswell as a pass rusher: two steps to threaten the edge then a speed-to-power conversion driving through the right into the pocket.
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