Chris Braswell, EDGE, Alabama
Size:
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 251 pounds
Arm Length: 33 1/4"
Hand Size: 9 3/8"
Accomplishments:
Second Team All-SEC (2023) • 5-star recruit
“Chris Braswell is a high-energy pass rusher who flashes good power and linear explosiveness to be an effective edge defender at the next level.”
Strengths:
Power
Short-area quickness
Motor
Concerns:
Length
Lateral agility
Flexibility
Film Analysis:
Alabama’s Chris Braswell enjoyed a breakout season in 2023 after working as a rotational player early in his career. Braswell entered the Alabama program as a 5-star recruit and highly touted edge defender. He joined a loaded pass rush group at Alabama and struggled to find the field until his junior and senior seasons.
Braswell is a densely built pass rusher with a thick lower half and a very muscular upper body. He lacks prototypical length but makes up for it with his very good athleticism and explosiveness.
Braswell aligns as a 4 and 5-tech across Alabama’s front. As a pass rusher, Braswell plays with very good first-step quickness to win the edge of the offensive tackle. He is an explosive athlete who generates a ton of power in short areas. Braswell flashes excellent bull rush ability as he can convert speed to power in an instant and drive the tackles back to the quarterback. He can uplift tackles with sheer power and disrupt the pocket integrity, Braswell is a savvy rusher who flashes an array of rush moves such as dip-and=rip and club. He plays with an outstanding motor and will make a ton of plays late in the down.
Braswell lacks the ankle flexibility and looseness to consistently corner and bend the arc after he wins the outside shoulder. His lack of length shows up at times when tackles can long-arm and win his chest plate, stymying his rush. He is a stiff overall athlete who is at his best going forward rather than side to side.
In the run game, Braswell sets a firm edge and rarely gives ground. He is an explosive take-on defender who can stack and shed and make plays on the ball carrier. Braswell’s lower-body stiffness makes it difficult for him to change direction when pursuing ball carriers and he can miss tackles in the open field.
He is an above-average coverage player for a man his size and shows good zone coverage awareness but lacks the fluidity to stay connected in man to man.
Overall, Braswell is an explosive pass rusher who would rather go through you than around you. He projects as an excellent secondary rusher but lacks the high-end pass-rush traits to allow him to be a consistent difference-maker at the next level.
Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Winning Starter
Written By: Brentley Weissman
Exposures: Ole Miss (2023), LSU (2023), Tennessee (2023)
