Brandon Bryant, FS, Mississippi State: 2018 NFL Supplemental Draft Scouting Report

STARKVILLE, MS – NOVEMBER 11: Jalen Hurts #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide gets around Brandon Bryant #1 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs for the touchdown during the first half of an NCAA football game at Davis Wade Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images) /

Brandon Bryant, a 2014 three-star recruit, started 25 of 38 career games at Mississippi State. As a junior in 2017, he primarily lined up at free safety in the Bulldogs defense. He missed the game against Arkansas last season as a result of a head injury.

Bryant was charged with driving under the influence in January of 2017, however, legal trouble isn’t what pushed him into the 2018 NFL Supplemental Draft. Academic issues held Bryant out of practice in the spring and would lead to him leaving the program.

After initially announcing his intention to transfer, Bryant ultimately decided to forego his final season of eligibility and enter the supplemental draft.

For his career, Bryant recorded 157 tackles, five interceptions and 12 passes defended. He played for two head coaches and three defensive coordinators during his college career. He possesses solid size and very good length on a well-balanced frame with good athletic ability.

Age: 22 (December 21, 1995)

Mississippi State Bulldogs Football /

Mississippi State Bulldogs Football

Measurables

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 207 lbs.

Arms: 32-7/8″

Hands: 9-3/8″

Pro Day Workout

40-Yard Dash: 4.45 seconds

Vertical Jump: 34 inches

Broad Jump: 10’3”

3-Cone Drill: 7.26 seconds

Short Shuttle: 4.23 seconds

Games Watched

2017: Alabama, Auburn, Louisville, LSU, Ole Miss

2016: South Carolina

Strengths

From zone coverage, Brandon Bryant reads the quarterback as he attempts to diagnose the play. He demonstrates very good explosiveness after determining the play and possesses the play speed to get to underneath throws from a deep zone. Bryant’s athletic ability is on display in the play below against Auburn.

Bryant, the safety to the offense’s left, sees the receiver coming his way in motion and immediately reads screen at the snap. He explodes to the point of attack, quickly moving from high to low before squaring up the ball carrier and making the stop in the open field to prevent a big gain.

In man coverage, Bryant does a good job of mirroring routes as loose hips allow him to get in and out of his backpedal and change direction quickly. He showcased this ability as a sophomore against South Carolina.

Lined up against the slot to the left, Bryant doesn’t move as the receiver eats up the initial 11-yard cushion Bryant afforded him. As soon as the receiver reaches the top of his route stem and begins his move inside to complete the post route, Bryant opens his hips and mirrors the route from a semi-trail position.

Glued to the receiver’s outside hip, Bryant takes him out of the play. Even if the quarterback had been looking in his direction, Bryant’s positioning would have forced a throw elsewhere.

Bryant tracks the ball well in the air and displays solid ball skills and length to break up the pass and cause it to fall incomplete.

In the running game, Bryant reacts quickly and displays very good closing speed as he works his way toward the line of scrimmage. He squares up the ball carrier and is a reliable tackler in the open field. He utilizes solid play strength to deliver a physical blow to the runner and prevent the ball carrier from picking up yards after contact.

In the following play against LSU, Bryant is the deep safety and reads the offensive linemen to recognize run before running back Derrius Guice even takes the handoff. A good angular body position allows him to plant and drive toward the point of attack quickly. He fills the gap vacated by the right outside linebacker who was cut down on the play and demonstrates solid balance as he squares his shoulders and stays on his toes.

This puts Bryant in position to clean up the play after a missed tackle attempt. He stays low and delivers a solid hit on Guice, knocking him sideways and preventing one of the top rushers in college football last season from gaining any additional yardage.

Weaknesses

Overaggressiveness is Bryant’s biggest weakness, as he explodes on first move rather than trust his instincts and let the play develop. This is a result of marginal mental processing skills and shows up frequently when he’s in man coverage.

The first example of Bryant caught guessing comes against Auburn. The Tigers have their running back in a wildcat formation with the quarterback to the far right. Next to the quarterback is the slot receiver Bryant is responsible for. That receiver begins the play at half speed to sell the run, which Bryant falls for as he sees the initial handoff.

By the time he realizes the quarterback is getting the ball and going deep, the receiver is well behind Bryant. An underthrown ball is the only thing that prevents a touchdown, but Auburn still manages a 49-yard gain on the play.

The second example is from the 2017 Egg Bowl against Ole Miss. A.J. Brown, a potential first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, is lined up in the slot to the right and runs a sluggo route.

Bryant gets caught with his eyes in the backfield and falls for the double move. The result is a 77-yard score to give the Rebels a two-possession lead.

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Despite possessing good athletic ability and speed, Bryant’s range is only adequate. As the single-high safety, he rarely extends anywhere close to the numbers to make a play. The plays he does execute are typically between or close to the hashes. His length allows him to defend passes, however adequate hands limit his ability to intercept the pass and create turnovers.

When tracking down the ball carrier, Bryant takes marginal angles, relying on his speed rather than awareness to make up the ground. This approach hampers his ability to constrict running lanes.

In man coverage, he displays a marginal effort to elude blockers and will look to make contact and get physical with the receiver rather than make a play on the ball carrier.

After a very good campaign as a freshman, Bryant’s production slipped dramatically. He also struggled to keep his job, starting a career-low seven games in 2017. His inconsistent effort is a result of marginal competitive toughness and will have teams questioning how hard he’ll work to improve.

Overall

Overall, Brandon Bryant is a backup free safety at the next level who wins with athletic ability and his physical style of play. He’s not someone who possesses the instincts to be relied on as a single-high safety. Bryant is best suited to play in a Cover 3 system in which he can defend the middle of the field from a deep zone and spy the quarterback.

At this point of his career, Bryant should not be relied on to play man coverage. NFL offenses will run double moves on him all game and exploit his overaggressiveness. In a Cover 3 system, he would be playing zone coverage and have deep help on both sides in case a receiver fakes him out.

Next: Adonis Alexander, CB, Virginia Tech: 2018 Scouting Report

Bryant is the third best prospect available in the 2018 NFL Supplemental Draft behind cornerbacks Sam Beal and Adonis Alexander. Those two are expected to be selected at some point in the draft, but Bryant being chosen is up in the air.

While he certainly has the athletic ability to play at the next level, he does have red flags on and off the field that will cause teams to think twice before giving up a pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to select Bryant on July 11.

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