Could Bryan Bresee Be A Better Pro Than Jalen Carter?

He could be BPA as well.

He’s a little on the small side but he’s one hell of a penetrating 3-tech d-tackle.

Very fast, high motor and pretty dang strong. I’d rather have Witherspoon, Gonzalez with the first pick in round 1 than Breese personally.

Nothing against Breese, he’s a solid talent and a hell of a locker room guy if reports are accurate. Wouldn’t be mad if that’s the direction they decide to go.

I just personally would prefer taking a top DB and pairing him with Klancey early in round 2 than Breese and grabbing another DB in round 2.

To the point of this thread, yes I think Bresee could be a better pro. I’m fact, I am leaning towards Bresee possibly over Carter.

Bryan is exactly what this team needs at DT: a high effort kid with football character to burn and the physical talent to be special. What he has lived through is motivational gold.

Hutch, Bresee, Alim, Cominsky, Romeo Okwara, Josh Paschal, James Houston, Charles Harris, Julian Okwara, Buggs as depth and with Levi O. as a wild card bonus depth guy. That is how you win the North right there. Roll in one player after another who is better than the guy they are fighting with.

From what I can see I think I we would use Bryan differently here than Clemson.

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Could you imagine what would have happened if the giants had taken white in the supplemental draft? They’d have had white on one side and Taylor on the other. Jesus what a nightmare if you’re a quarterback.

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I think it’s all based on potential and recapturing the player he used to be. I don’t know if the injury isn’t all the way healed or losing his sister has him struggling with depression. I don’t know the guy, but on his current tape he does not appear to be the same player.

Stages of grief right out of the DMS V medical manual.

  • Denial.
  • Anger.
  • Bargaining.
  • Depression.
  • Acceptance.

No where in there is motivation. Playing with extra fire and anger from a recent loss is not impactful in the long term nor is it healthy to carry that. The guy had a major injury both physically and emotionally. He may just need time to heal. Some people are never the same, some people are able recover in time. I truly hope he is getting the best treatment for both injuries and wish him and his family the best as I’m sure they continue to struggle with the loss. Please don’t imply that somehow someone’s horrible loss is somehow a net benefit for anyone other than the NFL who peddle his tragedy on the open market as a GREAT STORY.

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The chance of them both not being that great seems pretty high to me.

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Dude, you are overthinking this!

I have been studying football and draft decisions for a long, long time. Most of the players drafted are incredible athletes. Why then do some succeed when some fail? Talent explains a lot, BUT…the desire to work hard and the drive to win tops all else. Bryan tore his ACL and was back a year later. To me it takes a LONG time to trust your body again and I have no doubt he will be back to full power soon. Same with Romeo Okwara and Jeff Okudah. Add Jameson Williams to the mix too. You have to learn to trust your body again and Bryan is about right for not thinking about that injury any more.

Past the ACL tear in 2021 Bryan’s 15 year old sister died in 2022. That is as tough as it gets and that is almost impossible to move past that. This kind of grief sticks. This is the kind of stuff that can help clarify WHY you want to work so hard, why you sacrifice and why team and teammates are so important. This is about the person and how life can harden you and push you in ways you didn’t think possible. Bryan has lived through things now that I believe make him a stronger person on every l;evel and I respect that and I want that kind of character on my football team.
Bryan Tragedy

I don’t think the Lions are going to have to worry about anything by drafting Bryan. 6’5", just under 300 pounds, just starting to trust his body again and deep life experiemce to draw from. That checks all the boxes for me.

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The Bucs are the oldest team in the league, they suck, and Brady isn’t coming back. They should be selling off pieces soon, if they have any kind of sense. I’ll take Vita Vea.

And you are under thinking it ,

Breese is dropping like a rock , it’s like you are going off draft boards. If you watch any tape you would have to go back to his freshman year to find even a resemblance of the guy your talking about. Taking him at six would be worst case scenario.

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If he reaches his ceiling he might be exactly what we need at DT, but that’s a big risk. His floor’s as low as his ceiling is high (and I’ve only see a handful of flashes of that ceiling over his 2ish years of playing, I’m not sure how realistic it is that he reaches it).

Here’s the thing, sometimes there is no answer. We can have all the needs we want, but if there’s no one to fill them there’s nothing we can do. What if we try and shoehorn Bresee in because it’s a need, only for a much better answer to come available next offseason? This is why you see so many NFL teams use what fans think of as stop-gap solutions… if there’s no way to fix the problem, you do what you can to mitigate it until you can.

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I’m a clinical therapist who works with children and young adults. Its just as likely to create addiction, long term depression, adjustment disorders. Not to mention what it’s doing to his parents and family that he has to work through every day. I took issue with you saying “it’s motivational gold.” Your wrong, period, and it’s a horrible way to look at it.

As far as the article, what do you expect him to say when he is asked by media? Hey man I lost my sister and it makes me question whether I want to live anymore. It makes me afraid, it’s tearing my family apart, I am struggling to get out of bed every day, sometimes I just drink myself to oblivion? Because that’s what I hear behind closed doors everyday.

His old tape is his best tape and that makes zero sense to me unless there are underlying factors. I love him as a person and his character. I love the way his team mates talk about him. But from a football sense I also worry about why he is not dominating the way he was projected.

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This phenomenon is VERY real. I’ve lived this, even not being an athlete…just a handsome guy lifting weights & trying to get fit again.

How do you feel about LB White? How old is that guy? He sure was dominant in their last SB win, but I haven’t seen hi look great since (I dont watch Bucs games).

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I love the lens you see the world through, bro.
I was unaware that his old tape was his best tape. I’ve been largely learning from you guys on NCAA guys, as I truly watch maybe 2-3 U of M games/year & really don’t even know many of their players.

Noticing that I get to pay much closer attention, in certain areas. LOL.
Thanks for the insights.

Devin White is a guy that is very polarizing. He can look really great or really poor. He’s a guy that I would not pay what he would want in salary. Kind of like Hockenson.

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It’s really too big of a risk for me. I would much rather pick Kancey at this point then take a chance on Bresee and I wouldn’t pick Kancey at 18 even though he’s the only other true 3T in this class that’s worth a top 60 pick.

Yeah I like Kancey too though I prefer to get him in the 3rd. He’s a stud at penetrating and rushing the passer, but he’s really a liability in the run game. At 6’ 280 with short arms, that makes sense. So he might only be a guy we use on obvious passing downs. Maybe not, that’s on Brad and the coaches to figure out, but there’s only so much he can do at his size.

Why you an others ignoring Wilson? 6’6" 275 lbs He his size an strength the move inside easy.

I would take him before Murphy. He will play inside an edge an in year be even bigger He will grow into a monster at DT

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Yeah I mean Kancey is a risk as well, but as I’ve watched some of the DTs in this class he’s the only other non-Carter prospect that gets into the backfield consistently and I’ve seen him beat double teams numerous times. Also to be fair I don’t think he’s Perrion Winfrey bad against the run even though he’s not great. Still think he’s worth a mid to late 2nd round pick, but anything above that would be too rich for my blood.

I agree I think he’s probably worth a 2nd or later, but I’m hoping he drops because with his size profile, he’ll be completely off quite a few teams’ boards. That’s where all these simulators and draft community rankings miss, size outliers tend to go lower unless they test like freaks. See Nakobe Dean, Owusu-Koromoah, Milton Williams, etc… I honestly think Branch will probably fall too for the same reason. But I’m also pretty sure Kancey is a guy Brad will like a lot, so who knows. I’d be OK with late second.

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I hear ya’ Long but I am looking at his like he has developed a family-like structure structure in football. Other teams were helping him too. Professional athletes and guys that are this talented often have issues when they are handed millions of dollars but they never learned how to work hard or how to work through difficult times.

Long, you are saying he didn’t dominate the same way (and your concerns are legit and I fully respect your background) BUT I disagree with that. I think he DID dominate in 2022. Thats2 notes that his ceiling is low. Stats for DTs don’t tell even close to the story BUT it is worth noting in three seasons (1 cut short by an ACL) Bresee has 51 tackles and 9 sacks while Jalen Carter (in 3 full seasons) has 83 tackles and 6 sacks. Stats don’t tell the story BUT Bresee has more sacks in less games.

Past that however Bresee seemed to have up and down games in 2022 as he played through his ACL injury. But he saved his best for last in 2022:
" Highest-graded game: ACC CHAMPIONSHIP VS. NORTH CAROLINA (91.2)

Bresee saved his best performance of the season for his second-to-last game in a Clemson uniform, as he dominated the Tar Heels in the ACC Championship game. Bresee made most of his impact as a pass-rusher, tying his season-high with five pressures, one of which was a quarterback hit. This game helped showcase Bresee’s pass-rush skill set that should make him a popular prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft."

If we want a DT who can get after the QB AND is willing to play within a scheme I think Breesee is that guy. He did what Clemson asked him to do (played nose too) and I agree with PFF when they note:
" NFL role: Bresee is built like an edge rusher who plays defensive tackle, as he’s so athletic that he can even slide out along the edge from time to time. And given his pass-rushing instincts, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him do that occasionally in the NFL. Bresee has an 82.0 PFF pass-rushing grade on the season and has racked up eight total sacks in his career at Clemson. Although he’s played nose tackle at times, expect Bresee to play more between the gaps at the next level, which is where he’s most comfortable. Any NFL team would be lucky to have Bresee, as he not only improves the team’s run defense but also brings an elite pass-rushing ability for a defensive tackle."

Bryan 6’5" and 300 pounds, not an ounce of fat on him and he is is 22 in October. I am not worried about the ACL as he is well over a year removed from the ACL injury (suffered in Sept. 2021) and he played in 8 games in 2022. He even played in his Bowl game. PFF has Bresee as their #8 overall player (with Jalen Carter rated as the #2 OA draft prospect) and they note this:
“The former top recruit in the 2020 class, Bresee isn’t your run-of-the-mill 300-pounder. He can really move and is even capable of playing outside the tackles. He came back from an ACL tear to earn a career-high 82.0 pass-rushing grade in 2022.”

I think Bryan is exactly the kind of player we need to become elite on the DL. If Carter is there and Bryan is there I think that is a really, really hard decision and yes, I can see taking Bryan OVE Jalen IF a team feels like Carter may have motivation issues (like Nick Fairley).

Remember, if the draft were help a week after the national championship game Nick was likely a top 3 pick as he was the best player on the field all those years back. But he has a motivational issue and his play next to Suh normally left you wanting more (until 2014 when he REALLY showede up before he was hurt).

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It’s certainly possible. @CuriousHusker remains high on Bresee as well due to some of his athletic flashes as a freshman, and I agree that there are a few plays on tape that take your breath away. But for me they are too far and few between.

He’s really explosive going forward but I think he’s stiff-hipped. His get off is great, and there are some plays on his freshman tape where he moves laterally as if he’s teleporting. I expect his jumps and the first 10 of his 40 to be elite.

But he really struggles when he wants his upper body and lower body to act separately. The loose-hipped stuff like bending around the corner, or shortening an angle to beat a block. There are lots of plays where you see him loop around a block and because he’s so athletic in a straight line, it works, but I don’t think it will in the league. I’m not expecting a great 3-cone.

Now we can probably get a very good player out of a guy with Bresee’s combo of strength + explosion. But to me his margin for error is thinner than it is other guys, I don’t think he’ll be able to use a big bag of tricks to attack the QB, and NFL OL tend to do really well against a guy without a big bag of tricks.

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