
- by Owain Jones
NEXT ON OUR SCOUTING REPORTS IS BRYAN BRESEE. CHECK OUT OUR OTHER 2023 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORTS HERE.
- Height: 6’5”
- Weight: 30 lbs
- College: Clemson
- Year: Sophomore
- Position: Defensive Tackle
BACKGROUND
Bryan Bresee is one of the blue-chip prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft who will hear his name called early on day 1. He combines strength, size and athleticism to dominate at the college level and is a rare prospect for the defensive tackle position which has lacked some high-end talent in recent draft history.
Born in Damascus, Maryland, Bresee attended Damascus High School where he had a supreme high school career. He won state championships in both 2017 and 2019, ending his high school career with 135 tackles. 80.5 of them for a loss with 35 total sacks. Bresee won an abundance of awards along the way including Gatorade Player of the Year in Maryland and being named to the All-American Bowl.
As with many prospects nowadays, Bresee also played Basketball in high school where he averaged close to 14 points a game.
Bresee left high school as an elite-level prospect. He was a consensus 5-star recruit and the top overall player in his recruiting class. He committed to Clemson in April 2019 declining offers from other major programs like Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and every other college you could think of.
At Clemson, Bresee has continued his trajectory to NFL dominance. In his freshman year, he was named a Freshman All-American by multiple media outlets and won the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. Despite his season-ending injury in 2021, Bresee was still maned a Third-Team All-ACC selection.
Bryan Bresee is a dormant force in the middle of a fantastic defensive front at Clemson. He is a pure disruptor who unsettles offensive linemen with his elite power and athletic ability.
Watch the video below which shows Bryan Bresee’s pure ability to rupture offensive lines.
STRENGTHS
Bryan Bresee has all the measurables and looks like the real deal. His size, weight and length all hit the benchmarks for the position. Bresee’s length is a particular trait which NFL teams will rate very highly. He is able to use it to his advantage and create leverage through it. He is a physically gifted player who when he wins, overpowers offensive linemen with his leverage. It’s because of his size and length that this leverage is created. His arm length is awesome and it allows him to keep his hands extended away from his body. This allows Bresee to shed blocks with his arms and hands keeping his body free to generate power.
Bresee is also extremely powerful. He goes to his bull rush often as he knows it will overpower his opponent. He can bowl over opponents with his pure physically, natural strength. Bresee is a pocket disruptor in his authentic form forcing his way through contact. His hand placement is strong and accurate and he pushes linemen pack in the pocket, often ending up in the quarterback’s lap if Bresee carries on his push, but he has the ability to shed these blocks with his length and strength to tackle running backs or quarterbacks in the backfield.
Not only does Bresee have the leverage and length to be a success, he also possesses elite athletic traits that others simply don’t have. He is extremely mobile and twitchy and this gives Bresee an astounding advantage. Bresee has great initial burst off the line to the extent that he beats offensive linemen off the line of scrimmage causing imbalance and giving him the upper hand.
Athleticism
Also, Bresee has rare speed for the position. He has insane initial speed, but he also has the speed to chase down runners. If needed he has the potential to run sideline to sideline with the best of them. Bresee’s agility provides him with a devastating ability, but the potential to grow. His arsenal of winning moves is already strong, but will only grow as he continues to develop. Both Bresee’s strength and speed is exceptional and his ability to turn them into production on the field is a reason he will be a high-draft pick
This deadly combination of speed, power, length and intelligence means Bresee is versatile. He will have the ability to line up across the line and will be a valuable weapon for most teams. Bresee’s best reps come from a 3 technique but he has featured at 0-technique often also.
WEAKNESSES
While Bresee creates good leverage with his physical and mental gifts, there are ways he could continue his growth.
Firstly, he can play too high in his pad level and getting lower in his stance will allow him to have a more secure anchor and generate better power when he looks to penetrate the offensive line. When double teams he can get stuck on his feet and adding some strength, especially in his lower half would help this. While Bresee isn’t small he isn’t a huge, physically imposing nose tackle and could be best entering the NFL being paired with an established, consistent big bodied tackle where you can unleash Bresee to get after it.
Secondly, he is targetted often with double teams and he needs to develop his countering ability to beat them.
At Clemson, Bresee is often asked to do the same things constantly. The techniques he is asked to use are repeated. The Clemson coaching staff run more basic and samey plays such as slants and stacks. Hence why he is double-teamed often.
Lastly, we need to mention Bresee’s injury history. Tearing his ACL against NC State in September 2021 meant that Bresee only played in 4 games in the 2021 season. Then early in the 2022 season, Bresee had to miss time due to a non-football-related medical issue. We don’t know anymore about what the issue was apart from “blood work & observation” were necessary and he got food news after it.
SUMMARY
Bryan Bresee has the making of a top of the first round draft pick. His insane combination of speed, strength and size makes him a rare talent with a high floor and high ceiling. The defensive tackle position has lacked elite top end talent in recent drafts. This could be the year that changes.
Bresee projects best as a player who will be able to be a disruptor. Tasked with piercing and infiltrating offensive lines and will allow teams to open up their playbook. He is one of the top players every time he takes the field and dominates college opposition.
If Bresee’s health continues to hold up there is little doubt he will be one of the big players and blue chip players in the 2023 NFL Draft who will have fans clamouring for their team to pick him.
How good of a prospect is Bryan Bresee? Let us know over on Twitter @NinetynineYards
You can check out this YouTube playlist for all our 2023 Draft Talk content!

Who is the new big name Quarterback? – Ninety-Nine Yards
- Who is the new big name Quarterback?
- 4 Fixtures to Define the Season
- So Long Ninetynine Yards (website!)
- Draft Talk – 2024 NFL Draft Prospects Watchlist
- NFL Rookies To Watch in 2023 – Draft Talk
- Welcome to the 2023 Season
- 2023 Final NFL Mock Draft Live – Texans Pass On QB! | NFL Draft 2023
- Top 5 Quarterback Preview – 2023 NFL Draft | Draft Talk
- Top 5 Tight Ends Preview – 2023 NFL Draft | Draft Talk
- Top 5 Safety Preview – 2023 NFL Draft | Draft Talk
Image Credit: On3
Video Credit: ACC Digital Network