Steelers Need To Inject Young Talent Upfront On Defense For 2023; Could Bryan Bresee Be An Option At 17?

Leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft starting on April 27th, we will be releasing several draft profiles of prospects who could potentially see themselves on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Next up... 

Bryan Bresee (Defensive Line), Clemson University, Junior

Bryan Bresee stands in at 6'5" tall, weighing 300lbs, and possesses elite physical tools which have him as one of the top prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Overview

Bresee is an elite athlete that everyone immediately knew would be a force in college football, and likely a high draft pick whenever he went into the NFL. Unfortunately, some questions around his health and additional adversity limited his performance/availability, making him have a wide range in his draft evaluations than most would expect. 

As a true freshman, Bresee absolutely dominated for Clemson while recording 4 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. His performance came as no surprise, as he was the consensus #1 overall recruit for 2020. Unfortunately for Bresee, he tore his ACL just four games into his sophomore season and didn't get a chance to fully show his improvement and growth in his second year. Coming into his third season with the Tigers, Bresee faced some adversity in his personal life as his sister passed away at the beginning of the season after a battle with cancer. Bresee continued to play, although not on a full workload, and put together another solid season. 

His physical tools and sky-high ceiling are what has NFL teams salivating over him, but the hurdles he has had to overcome throughout his college career has made people question where he will be drafted. 

Pros:

- Elite first step quickness

- Versatility along the defensive line

- Great athlete

- Nimble on his feet showing good balance, especially for someone his size

- Strong upper body

- High motor

- Consistently able to shed blocks and shoot gaps

- Able to rush the passer from multiple spots

- Consistent tackler

Cons:

- Lack of consistent reps last two seasons

- Lower body strength is average currently, but has the frame to build

- Struggles with double teams 

- Pad level needs to be more consistent, gets too high off the ball 

- Hand usage can afford to improve on pass-rush counters

The Steelers run defense has been an issue the last couple of seasons, and part of that is due to aging veterans like Tyson Alualu, as well as losing key players along the defensive line such as Stephon Tuitt. They could look to add some veterans, but Bresee could make a lot of sense as well. Bresee is definitely more polished as a pass-rusher than he is in run defense at this point in his development, but he easily has the athleticism and frame to become an elite presence along the defensive line that Steeler Nation is used to seeing in the Black & Gold. 

Run Defense and Strength

There is no denying that Bresee has a very good frame that carries his weight well. Because of that, he should be able to gain weight if needed to aid his ability to add extra strength, which should help him improve in run defense. Bresee has very good upper body strength that allows him to displace defenders when he makes first contact with his quick hands, while also displaying the occasional long-arm technique in order to keep defenders out of reach. However, he has struggled with his run defense at times due to appearing to have average strength in his lower body, which especially hurts him against double teams. 

When he has the ability to penetrate, he wrecks havoc in the backfield blowing up pulling guards and clogging holes/messing up the offense's timing. Adding some lower body strength and improving his pad level should allow him to be a consistent force in the run game. 

Athleticism and Pass Rush

You'd be hard pressed to find an interior defensive lineman, regardless of draft class, that has demonstrated the consistent ability to rush the passer that Bresee has during his three year stint at Clemson. His incredibly quick first step makes it very difficult for offensive lineman to make solid initial contact. 

He also has the ability to use his strong upper body along with his great acceleration to provide a nasty bull rush that results in quickly collapsing the pocket for the opposing quarterback. His quickness isn't limited to just pushing up the field either, as Bresee has shown consistently the ability to flow laterally down the line of scrimmage and beat the offensive lineman to their spot. He has a rare blend of size and speed that will make NFL teams second guess themselves if they decide to pass on him early in the draft. 

NFL Comparison - Stephon Tuitt

This will be a comparison that Steeler Nation will have mixed reaction on, as Tuitt was a great player during his NFL career for the Steelers, but career came to a screeching halt due to family matters off the field. Both Tuitt and Bresee are superior athletes for their size and would cause significant issues due to their ability to rush the passer. 

Both needed to improve holding their ground against the run out of college as well as show consistently the ability to keep their pad level low. However, Bresee has a much quicker get off and initial burst than Tuitt did coming out of Notre Dame. 

Draft Projection - First Round

Since the day he stepped foot on campus at Clemson, Bresee was pegged as a future first round pick. Where he goes in the first round is a bit of a mystery still, as his physical ability paired with the mixed bag of playing time over the last couple seasons could see him going anywhere from the late single digits to the mid-20's. 

"