Parker Brailsford, IOL, Alabama
Size:
Height: 6’2” | Weight: 275 lbs
Accomplishments:
First-Team Freshman All-America (2023) • Second-Team All-Pac-12 (2023)
“Parker Brailsford is a quick-twitch IOL who has the physical traits to be a high-level starter in a primary zone run scheme.”
Strengths:
Quick-twitch/athleticism
Range as a blocker
High-motor Effort
High IQ
Lateral agility/reactionary athleticism
Concerns:
Size/overall mass
Length
Strength at the point of attack
Ability to anchor against power rushers
Film Analysis:
Parker Brailsford is a Washington transfer who served as a key part of a high-powered Washington offense that carried the Huskies to a national championship appearance in 2023. Brailsford accompanies head coach Kalen DeBoer, who also made the transition from Washington to Alabama. Brailsford is a high-IQ, athletic interior offensive lineman who plays with an element of grit and toughness needed to be a leader of an offensive line unit. Brailsford's athletic ability and football instincts serve as key foundational traits for him to be productive as both a run blocker and in pass protection.
As a run blocker, Brailsford uses his first-step quickness and athleticism to win in the run game. After the snap, Brailsford does a good job of quickly winning by out-leveraging defensive linemen by beating them to a spot and being able to cut defenders off. In zone blocking schemes, Brailsford can snap the ball quickly and get out front of a defender to be able to seal off the backside of a run or he can reach block a defender on the playside of a run.
The power run game is where Brailsford's athleticism is on display. He can snap the football and then get out and be the lead blocker on a pulling play. Brailsford's athleticism allows him to be able to make effective blocks in space, able to probably square up a defender and place an effective and efficient block to be able to spring a running back for a big gain. Overall, Brailsford is going to win in the run game, utilizing his athleticism, his technique, and being a high-motor and effort player. Those traits allow him to be an effective and high-level blocker in the run game as an interior offensive lineman.
In pass protection, Brailsford's two winning traits are his athletic ability and high IQ. After snapping the football, Brailsford does a good job of first being able to seal off penetrating A-gap defenders. When Brailsford doesn’t have any immediate threat in front of him, he does a good job of scanning, looking for any delayed blitzers or twisting stunts to come into his area. Brailsford is always willing to help scan the line of scrimmage and is a high-motor, high-effort player who will help out his teammates to be effective as a unit. Overall, Brailsford has a lot of range as a player due to his athletic ability, which also allows him to play well in the screen game, as he can showcase his athletic ability to get out in front but also find defenders and block them. This makes him a valuable piece to offenses who heavily utilize screens as part of their offensive game plan.
When evaluating Brailsford, his key concern as a football player is his lack of overall mass and strength which show in both the run game and in pass protection. In the run game in gap power schemes, Brailsford does a good job of making initial contact but doesn’t get the proper movement as an interior offensive lineman. He often ends up stalling at the line of scrimmage with the defender or losing ground in pass protection. Brailsford struggles with power rushers who choose to use a bull rush and they can collapse him into the pocket, which ends up in pressure for the quarterback.
Overall, Brailsford should be a highly sought-after interior offensive lineman for all offensive schemes that run a primary zone run scheme and also like to implement screen games into their offense.
Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Adequate Starter
Written By: Keith Sanchez
