He doesn’t always get his due alongside Dallas Turner, but Alabama EDGE Chris Braswell is an exciting 2024 NFL Draft prospect in his own right, with a scouting report that could land him a starting role in the NFL.
What does Braswell bring to the table, and what is his projection?
Chris Braswell’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height:Â 6’3 3/8″
- Weight:Â 251 pounds
- Length: 33 1/4″
- Wingspan: 81 3/8″
- Hand: 9 3/8″
- Position: EDGE
- School: Alabama
- Current Year: Senior
Braswell arrived at Tuscaloosa as one of the nation’s best high school recruits. He was a near-consensus five-star recruit from Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, with offers from a host of blue-blood programs. He chose the Crimson Tide.
Expectations were high for Braswell, but it took some time before he reached his ceiling at Alabama. He waited patiently behind high-caliber NFL talent while playing a role on special teams in each of his first three years.
In 2022, Braswell received more rotational reps as a rush linebacker, and he flashed promise while accruing 2.5 sacks and four total tackles for loss. But once Will Anderson Jr. left for the NFL, Braswell got his chance to shine in the starting lineup and made the most of it.
Chris Braswell flashed his upside during his senior season at @AlabamaFTBL. 📈@IC_Draft says the Baltimore native is one of the best speed-to-power rushers in the 2024 NFL Draft. 😤#RollTide | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/9cM38KZiVq
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365)
Across Alabama’s climb to the CFB Playoffs in 2023, Braswell amassed 42 tackles, eight sacks, 10.5 total TFLs, three forced fumbles, and a pick-six, earning a trip to the Reese’s Senior Bowl.
The Senior Bowl was a success for Braswell, who got to show off his natural power and rush arsenal in front of scouts. Later, at the NFL Combine, he tested with stellar numbers, registering a 4.6 40-yard dash and a 1.58 10-yard split in the 96th percentile for defensive ends.
We always talk about the boxes that prospects can check: Production, pedigree, athletic talent. Braswell checks all of those — but how does his profile hold up against enhanced scrutiny? That’s what we’re here to find out.
Braswell’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Extremely compact, explosive linear athlete with an excellent raw power profile.
- Has the volcanic first-step and arc-running speed to stress blocking angles off the snap.
- Flashes great ankle flexion and curvilinear acceleration while compressing rushing paths.
- With burst, leverage, and proportional length, generates deadly point-of-contact force.
- Has shown he can load his base and attack inside the torso with menacing extensions.
- Can plow offensive tackles into the QB’s lap with violent long arms and bull rushes.
- Able to forklift inside blockers’ frames while keeping his off arm free to stack counters.
- Effectively sustains power drive with ruthless re-exertions and strong leg churn.
- Able to feign outside rush angles, then skew inside while keeping momentum and drive.
- Has shown he can channel hip rotation and torque to levy forceful cross chops outside.
- Can wrench OTs outside with power, then pry his way inside with brutal swim moves.
- Knows how to use tempo to freeze tackles, then win against idle blockers with swipes.
- Workmanlike hand-fighter who builds off power exertions with swipes, chops, and clubs.
- High-IQ run defender who can effortlessly acquire leverage and set a strong edge.
- Has the athleticism and awareness to drop into the flats and loom in underneath zones.
Weaknesses
- Visibly lacks the hip flexibility necessary to consistently roll through the apex.
- With struggles sinking and rolling through, can get locked up before cornering on reps.
- Often experiences slight delays when adjusting his hip alignment and changing his track.
- Stiffness sometimes prevents him from seamlessly countering inside after power stalls.
- Bend component is inconsistent, and upside as a finesse rusher is uncertain.
- Length, while solid, is not proportionally elite, which can limit his ability to stay clean.
- Longer tackles can envelop him and force him to work through, as opposed to around.
- Occasionally recoils upright at contact, allowing longer OTs to torque him off balance.
- Overall quickness and sequencing across pass-rush counters can be more consistent.
- Sometimes experiences slight delays when stacking moves off initial power exertions.
- Slightly high-cut frame can impact change of direction and transition freedom in space.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Braswell grades out as a top-64 prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft and one of the top 10 EDGE talents in the class. He’s worth early-to-mid Day 2 capital and would be an exceptional fit for odd and hybrid-front schemes, where he’d be able to rush from two-point stances.
Braswell is one of the best speed-to-power rushers on the 2024 NFL Draft circuit. Speed-to-power rushes involve quick momentum generation, base alignment and leverage acquisition, extension, and leg churn, and Braswell implements all of these components to near perfection.
Not only can Braswell knock tackles off their center of gravity with his burst and power, but he can also diversify his power arsenal with bull rushes, long arms, and forklift moves, and he’s shown he can build off of that initial power with a vast array of hand counters.
The word that comes to mind for Braswell’s pass-rush aura is “workmanlike.” His power is formidable, and he has a stubborn motor through contact. Once he erodes his opponent’s balance, he can pry through reps with swipes, chops, clubs, and inside swims.
KEEP READING: Top EDGEs in the 2024 NFL Draft
Braswell’s projection as a bend and finesse rusher is less clear, and that’s the biggest hang-up regarding his stock. There are exciting glimpses of ankle flexion and surface area reduction on tape, but by and large, his hip stiffness prevents him from rolling through the apex on a consistent basis.
Nevertheless, Braswell has a high functional floor, with the explosiveness, functional power components, and active hands to stay disruptive at the NFL level. And on top of that foundation, he’s a strong, high-IQ run defender and an able cover man in the flats.
Right away, Braswell can be a valuable rotational presence with his speed-to-power ratio, and he can grow to become a quality NFL starter in odd and hybrid front schemes.
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