College Highlights: Falcons EDGE Bralen Trice’s top plays at Washington
The Falcons rounded out Day 2 of the 2024 NFL by taking a second straight defensive player. This time, they drafted Washington EDGE Bralen Trice with their third-round pick (No. 74 overall).
Trice didn’t play his freshman year, but was featured in six games in 2021 and accounted for 14 total tackles. He bested that total in 2022 and then again in 2024. He also posted a career-high in sacks and tackles for loss in 2022 — with nine and 12 respectively.
Check out Trice’s best college highlights, as shared by the team’s Twitter account below:
The Falcons finally added an edge rusher, selecting Washington’s Bralen Trice in the 3rd round of 2024 NFL draft
The Falcons have finally added a pass rusher, selecting Washington EDGE Bralen Trice in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft. Trice racked up eight sacks, 19 QB hits, and 53 hurries while helping the Huskies reach the National Championship game last season.
The Falcons have been searching for that elite edge rusher for what feels like an eternity. The team drafted Clemson defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro in the second round, and now Trice gives Atlanta another talented young player on the front line of its defense.
Pro Football Focus describes Trice as a disruptor on its 2024 big board:
Atlanta did not re-sign defensive end Calais Campbell or EDGE Bud Dupree in free agency. Campbell and Dupree tied for the team lead with 6.5 sacks last season. Hopefully, Trice can help the team get some sacks in 2024.
The Falcons are likely down for the night, assuming they don’t trade back up into the third round.
The Chargers sent a strong contingent to UW’s pro day on Thursday, including two position coaches.
The University of Washington held their annual pro day on Thursday. 19 former Huskies worked out for NFL evaluators, headlined by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and offensive lineman Troy Fautanu. Wide receiver Rome Odunze, a projected top ten pick, was present but did not participate.
Among the 30 teams in attendance in Seattle were three representatives from the Chargers: offensive line coach Mike Devlin, defensive line coach Mike Elston, and west coast area scout Chris Hobbs. (A report that offensive coordinator Greg Roman was in attendance was incorrect.)
Both Devlin and Elston ran positional drills for their respective groups. Elston worked out defensive linemen Bralen Trice, Sekai Asoau-Afoa, and Tuli Letuligasenoa. Edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui did not participate as he recovers from shoulder surgery and defensive lineman MJ Ale was not seen after the 40 yard dash. Devlin worked with Fautanu and offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten during their positional work, along with offensive line coaches from the Jets, Raiders, and Steelers.
The Chargers also showed plenty of interest in a number of Huskies players outside the workout. Devlin spent a few minutes chatting with Odunze as the other players ran the 40, the two seemingly familiar with each other from a previous encounter.
Chargers OL coach Mike Devlin spent a few minutes chopping it up with Rome Odunze pic.twitter.com/yDGqoECIwc
Of note, however: Odunze told the media after the workout that he has met with the Giants and plans to meet with the Cardinals, Bears, and Jets in the coming weeks. He did not mention the Chargers as one of the teams set to host him at their team facility.
On the defensive side, Elston had a lengthy conversation with Trice after the defensive line workout concluded. Trice has been matched with the Chargers in longer mock drafts in the past, as his play style aligns with what Los Angeles is expected to be looking for under new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. Trice would also not come at a premium draft selection – he’s currently projected to be a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick.
Chargers DL coach Mike Elston putting Bralen Trice through position drills in Seattle pic.twitter.com/jGugobKybC
Trice disappointed in athletic testing at February’s NFL Combine, but looked fluid in positional work and showed plenty of bed during bag drills. He did not seek to improve upon his testing numbers from Indianapolis.
Position coaches attending pro days are generally good indicators of interest around the league, so the fact that Elston and Devlin were present in Seattle on Thursday is notable. Hobbs, meanwhile, was active in timing the drills and was seen debriefing the event with Elston as the two exited the pro day venue.
Trice has some real athletic limitations but he’s also proven to be a very effective pass rusher
The Lions Draft Prospect of the Day was a pressure-creating machine for one of the nation’s most successful teams.
The focus for these prospects is on players who should hold some appeal to the Lions in the draft, with a focus on the more likely positions the team will be targeting: OL, EDGE, CB, DT, S and WR.
Today’s prospect is a player I projected to the Lions in the first round early in the college season, but one who now projects deeper in the draft.
Height: 6-foot-3 1/2″
Weight: 245 pounds (measured at NFL Scouting Combine)
Trice was a three-year player for the Huskies and a very effective one, starting 29 games. He was Washington’s defensive MVP in both 2022 and 2023, and was also All-PAC 12 both seasons. The team captain logged 26.5 TFLs and 16 sacks in 28 games over the final two years while playing almost exclusively as a stand-up rush OLB on both the left and right side of the defense. PFF recorded the Arizona native with 150 total QB pressures in his final two seasons. Trice turned 23 in February.
What I like
Proven he can win over either shoulder of the offensive tackle
Really good first step that he follows with power nicely
Relentless effort to try and get to the quarterback
Angles his shoulders and hips well to avoid getting squarely blocked in the run game
Above-average nose for screens, wham blocks and draws
Can set a hard edge against the run even though he doesn’t shed blocks better than average
Really nice club and rip moves
Reliably wins hand-to-hand combat
Can set up moves for later in the game and adapt to how he’s being blocked to the best of his physical abilities
What worries me going into the NFL
Poor ankle/hip flexibility and very straight-linish as an athlete
He was listed by Washington at 274 pounds but hit the combine at 245 and still didn’t test well
Lacks a real closing burst or chase gear
Will try to initiate tackles from too far away
Gets stuck to blocks at times when he tries to break inside
Almost exclusively a stand-up OLB pass rusher; rarely dropped into coverage or played off-ball roles and didn’t play well at either when asked
Best game I watched: Stanford
Worst game I watched: Michigan (national championship game), Oregon State 2022
Overall
Trice certainly fits the “grit” for Detroit; his motor and high-energy on-field personality scream “Lions.” More cynical Detroit fans will point to the astronomical pressure total but meager sack conversion rate from all those pressures and say that screams Lions, too.
Trice just doesn’t have the twitch or flexibility to project as much more than a complementary rusher in the NFL. He’s also lacking alignment versatility; he’s quite likely an odd-front stand-up EDGE only. Pretty good football player and will be an asset in the locker room, but taking him higher than the third round is probably putting expectations too high for what his athletic limitations can deliver. Having said that, Trice would be a fun presence opposite Aidan Hutchinson.
Over the past two seasons, Trice has been talked about as a potential first round pick, but many draft analysts saw him as a potential second rounder in last year’s draft before he decided to return to school. That stock remained relatively consistent for most of these season, even as Trice’s raw sack numbers dropped from 9 to 8 despite over 300 extra snaps in 2023.
But when Trice ran a 4.72 40 yard dash at just 245 pounds, well under his listed weight on Montlake of 274, analysts began to question if they had placed the Huskies standout too high. That’s despite his 4.72 time ranking in roughly the 83rd percentile of 40 yard dash times ran by defensive ends since 1987, per Relative Athletic Score.
The Chargers, meanwhile, are facing a crossroads at pass rusher. Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa are both owed more than $36 million this season, and one or both of them have come up in trade talks as the deadline for Los Angeles to clear over $20 million to get compliant with the salary cap looms.
LA does have 2023 second round pick Tuli Tuipulotu on the roster, however. The former USC pass rusher had a strong rookie season and is viewed as a potential franchise cornerstone on defense if he can continue that momentum into his second NFL campaign.
That leads us to Trice, who would likely be EDGE3 as a rookie behind one of Mack and Bosa, as well as Tuipulotu. Regardless of which veteran the Chargers elect to keep heading into 2024, that player will likely not be on the roster in 2025 as Los Angeles continues to remake their squad. Trice would then be able to step in as the primary edge defender opposite Tuipulotu, ideally giving the Chargers one of the better young pass rush duos in the league.
Trice also meshes well with the Chargers defense as a stout run defender who can also wreak havoc on passing downs. Los Angeles has struggled to defend the perimeter run over the past few seasons, even as they’ve remodeled the defense with splash free agent signings on the defensive interior and at linebacker.
The Chargers coaching staff is also familiar with Trice in a roundabout way. Los Angeles hired Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter away from Michigan after the Wolverines beat Washington for the national championship in January.
Trice had only one pressure in that game, tied for his worst showing of the season. But that very well could have been because of Michigan’s focus on him after he generated 79 total pressures over the course of the rest of the season, per PFF.
With Washington’s pro day on March 28th expected to draw staff members from all 32 NFL teams, it’s worth monitoring whether the Chargers will send a high-ranking member of the coaching staff to get a closer look at Trice as a potential addition to a defensive line in flux.
You can watch the rest of NFL Stock Exchange’s three round mock draft here to see where the other Huskies in this year’s class land:
The Baltimore Ravens are retooling and we’ve unveiled are third Ravens Wire 2024 NFL Mock draft of the offseason and after the scouting combine
The Ravens are heading into an uncertain offseason with an MVP quarterback, a shrinking Super Bowl window, and six of the top free agents in the NFL.
Baltimore GM Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh will head to Indianapolis for the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine and start the journey of retooling a roster that is in flux and set to see significant changes at offensive tackle, running back, wide receiver, linebacker, and cornerback among others.
With the NFL Combine complete and pre-free agency discussions set to begin, we’re projecting all seven rounds of April’s NFL draft for the Ravens via PFF.
Washington finds it QB of the present and future via trade.
What will the Washington Commanders do with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft?
While the Commanders may like USC quarterback Caleb Williams, it’s unlikely the Bears will part with the No. 1 pick unless Washington offers a “historic haul” to move up one spot. That’s not GM Adam Peters’ style.
But that doesn’t mean the Commanders wouldn’t be interested in dealing with Chicago for another quarterback.
You’d think if Washington dealt for a quarterback, it would move down, right? In this case, no, as Farrar has the Commanders selecting electric LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers at No. 2 overall.
The Commanders trade with the Bears for Justin Fields, and decide in the shocker of the draft to take LSU receiver Malik Nabers over Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. as the first receiver. Harrison goes to the Cardinals with the fourth overall pick, and with the Bears taking Brian Thomas Jr. ninth overall, that’s quite a day for LSU!
That would certainly be a shocker for multiple reasons. The most shocking would be trading for Justin Fields. Nabers is phenomenal, and there are some who have him ahead of Marvin Harrison Jr.
As far as Washington’s second-round picks in Farrar’s mock draft, he has the Commanders selecting Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin (No. 36 overall) and Washington EDGE Bralen Trice (No. 40 overall).
This is certainly a different and interesting take on what Washington could do ahead of the draft.
Does anybody need a list of 2024 draft prospects the Panthers have spoken with thus far? We got you.
The 2024 scouting combine is now in the books. 40s have been dashed, 20s have been shuttled, benches have been pressed and vertical and broads have been jumped.
Oh, and there were plenty of talks to be had.
Among the annual activities at the combine are the meetings between prospects and potentially interested teams. And as far as the Carolina Panthers are concerned, we may have to pay a bit more attention to who they’re talking to since their first pick doesn’t pop up until the second round.
So, we’ll help you out.
Here are all the known players—whether they were at the combine, Senior Bowl, Shrine Bowl or even the College Gridiron Showcase—the Panthers have spoken with to this point:
The NFL Scouting Combine is underway for the 2024 draft cycle and the New Orleans Saints have started their formal meetings with prospects in Indinapolis. Recently, the Saints met with Washington defensive end Bralen Trice per The Philly Inquirer’s Devin Jackson.
He could be a good fit for the Saints. The pass rusher is coming off of back-to-back impressive seasons at Washington, finishing his career with 18 sacks and 28.5 total tackles for a loss. He’s known for his strength at the line of scrimmage and reliability in defending the run as well as getting after the quarterback.
But Trice has either shed a lot of weight or had a wildly incorrect profile at Washington, as he was listed at 274 pounds on their roster but checked into the combine all the way down at 245 pounds. Those two weights project to two very different types of players so clearing that up will be a big part of team interviews and evaluations.
The Commanders land multiple potential starters in this pre-combine seven-round mock draft.
The 2024 NFL combine begins Monday in Indianapolis, and the Washington Commanders will be front and center.
The Commanders have an owner (Josh Harris) who took in July, a new general manager (Adam Peters), a new head coach (Dan Quinn), the most cap space in the NFL, and hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Washington is expected to take a quarterback second overall and will likely decide between Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels. Williams is expected to go No. 1 overall to Chicago, so the choice should come down to Maye or Daniels.
In addition to the second overall pick, Washington has nine overall selections, including six of the first 103 selections.
We will learn a lot about several draft prospects at this week’s combine. But before the combine begins, using the PFF mock draft simulator, Commanders Wire did a seven-round mock draft for Washington.
