Buffalo Bills 2023 NFL Draft: 3 players and 1 game to watch in Week 1
Buffalo Bills 2023 Draft Prospect to Watch: DT Bryan Bresee, Clemson
Measurables: 6-5, 310lbs
Game: #4 Clemson vs. Georgia Tech (Monday 9/5, 8:00 PM ESPN)
Bryan Bresee was regarded as one of the best players in the 2019 recruiting class. However, injuries in his sophomore season have limited Bresee’s career to only 16 games so far. In those games, 5.5 sacks and 9.5 TFL. While those numbers are not wrong, they are certainly not generational high school recruit-type numbers. However, roll on the tape, and you just need a few reps to see why Bresee will still be a sought-after prospect in this draft.
While the defensive line is often associated with stats like sacks and tackles for loss, a large portion of their job is doing the dirty work for the linebackers to stop the run. Bresee is a master at this sort of “dirty work.” Bresee plays with excellent lower body strength.
This strength makes it impossible for individual blockers to move, and from what I saw, double teams rarely had success. He is quick on the snap and fast to attack offensive linemen before they can gain leverage or get their hands where they want them. These skills helped Clemson’s defense in 2020 allow only 3.1 yards per carry (2020 was Bresee’s only entire season).
As a run defender, Bresee is exceptionally talented. He is far from a one-dimensional player, but he needs to work on some parts of his ability to rush the passer. First, Bresee is strong but struggles to win with any sort of speed.
While he has a nice bull rush, it is tough to bull rush most guards, especially when they know it is coming. Bresee would benefit from adding more decisive, quicker moves to his pass rush plan.
Additionally, while he can anchor gaps well, he must get blockers detached from their blocks. Not only will being aggressive in this way help Bresee as a pass rusher, but it will lead to even more dominance against the run.
What to Watch For: Bresee is coming off a lost season where he only played four games, and Georgia Tech may not be the strongest opponent. I want to see some good reps against the pass. A sack would be nice, but just a couple of plays where Bresee has an impact on the quarterback would be enough. I also think the expectation for Bresee is dominance but will a long layoff create some concerns?