STRENGTHS
Brian is the definition of a 3/4 OLB/DE football player. He has the skills and athletic talent and length of a natural speed rusher off the edge, standing up or down in a three-point stance. He as the speed, size, length and the change of direction skills of a linebacker along with a high football IQ. Brian is a defensive playmaker and will disrupt his opponent’s offense sacking the QB, knocking down passes with his long arms and stringing out sweeps and screens to his side of the formation. He can drop off into coverage and I believe he has enough speed and cover skills to cover those big, pass catching tight Ends that line up in the slot. Brian has the athletic talent and the football IQ to be moved around your front seven depending on down and distance. He gives good effort on every down and looks to me on film, to still have some hidden potential that hasn’t fully been tapped into, for the team that selects him.
CONCERNS
Brian does a good job on the edge handling his assignments against the run but he needs to get stronger in his lower body to become better at handling double teams. He struggles right now to get off blocks against the run. He also struggles to make second moves when pass rushing when opponents get their hands on him quickly. He is an excellent speed rusher but because he lacks the strength and techniques a good blocking tight end can stop him. Nevertheless, when Brian comes off the edge, slaps his opponents’ hands down and turns the corner he does it with speed and quickness that is unique for his size.
TALENT BOARD ROUND 1.46
Right now, Brian is a perfect fit for a 3/4 defense but I have no doubt that in the future he could play on the line in any style of defense and impact. I sense that he wants to be a complete player and will work hard to improve. He reminds me a lot of Cardinals Chandler Jones, same athletic talent but struggles against the run. I think Brian will improve and I think that improvement will alleviate him getting frustrated during a game when he can’t seem to impact against the run. You can see teams in the fourth quarter double team Brian and start to run by him because he struggles dealing with the double team and shedding blocks quickly to make tackles, although he does a good job turning the play in for help to the middle of the field. The fact that Brian gets frustrated is a good thing and is what will motivate him to gain the strength and techniques to play better against the run. If I didn’t see that frustration on film I wouldn’t rate Brian as a 1st round talent because Drew’s Draft rules number 14 says; “Pass rushing is not a specialty, it should be included in the evaluation of a DE or LB position in their totality”. There is tremendous upside to Brian’s overall game and from his play on the field, I believe that Brian has the maturity to reach that upside.
