Up next in the Unpacking Future Packers draft preview series is Alabama edge rusher Chris Braswell.
The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects who could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2024 NFL draft.
A team can never have enough pass rushers. With Rashan Gary, Preston Smith and Lukas Van Ness, the Green Bay Packers have a solid stable of edge rushers. They could always use another.
A pass rusher that Brian Gutekunst could target early in the 2024 NFL Draft is Chris Braswell. The Alabama edge rusher checks in at No. 68 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.
A five-star recruit out of Maryland, Braswell became a member of the defensive line rotation in 2022 and finished the season with four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Braswell broke out this past season for the Crimson Tide. He finished the season with 42 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, one interception (returned for a touchdown) and forced three fumbles.
At 6-3, 251 pounds with nearly 34-inch arms, Braswell is a well-put-together edge rusher. The former five-star recruit has a nice blend of power and quickness.
The Alabama edge rusher fires out of his stance and has excellent acceleration. He can convert speed to power. He uses that length and power to bench-press offensive linemen backward. He gives good secondary effort and has good closing burst to the quarterback. To go along with his eight sacks, Braswell recorded 56 pressures this past season.
“Braswell’s greatest strength is his leverage and how it adds a strength beyond his size,” Brent Taylor, the editor for Roll Bama Roll, said. “At 6’3” 255, he’s a little stouter than the lanky edge rushers that have become all the rage lately, and he uses that to be able to continually work offensive tackles backward with a lower body power before using a wide variety of moves to slip past them. Essentially, he’s a borderline five-star athlete in terms of speed and generally has a well-coached block-shedding technique, but what makes it all really stand out is that he starts almost every pass rush move with the point of blocking already a yard or two into the backfield because he’s knocked his guy backward.”
As a run defender, Braswell sets a firm edge and stays balanced through contact. He has a large tackle radius and can lasso ball carriers to the ground. Despite having limited opportunities, Braswell recorded 24 stops this past season (PFF).
“He’s ok against the run, but far from great,” Taylor said. “I liked his functional strength to stand up blockers, and he made a few really nice tackles by blowing his guy into the backfield and taking down the running back between the tackle and guard. That said, I think his lack of length and lateral speed really can hurt him if he’s trying to play the strong side and set an edge against stretch plays. Overall, it’s an incomplete grade for him from me, since Alabama tended to sub him out for a big defensive end on most shorter yardage situations, and he generally played the weakside while Dallas Turner was the strongside.”
Fit with the Packers
With Gary, Smith and Van Ness already on the roster, the Packers don’t need an edge rusher to step in and provide an immediate impact. They just need another piece to help take their pass rush to the next level.
With his quickness and power, Braswell would provide quality depth on the edge for the Packers. He’s not just a pass-rush specialist, he sets a firm edge and is capable of developing into a three-down force.
“I think Braswell can have a long career as a complementary pass rusher, particularly in a 4-2-5 defense where he can play more defensive end and a little less linebacker,” Taylor said. “He won’t be a 10-sack guy, but I could definitely see him being one of those consistent five-to-seven sack players that fans of his team always complain that the national media underrated. I’d definitely consider him in the second round if he was the right roster fit, and I think he’d be an absolute steal if he drops to the 4th-round.”
If Braswell shows out at the NFL Scouting Combine, he’s a sneaky pick to be the selection with the 25th overall pick. It’s far more likely that the Packers would target him in the second round.
The name of the game is to get after the quarterback and Braswell can hunt quarterbacks. Adding him to an already impressive stable of edge rushers would be a rich-get-richer type pick for the Packers.
