Safety/ slot corner Brian Branch has received a ton of hype, but whether it’s warranted or not is up for debate. He is undeniably fantastic at what he did playing as a star safety in Nick Saban’s defense. The question about his draft value comes from the value of the position he’ll play in the pros. If he’s a pure slot, guys who give you 90% of what he does can be found on day three of the draft, which lowers his value. If he can play a versatile role like, say, Tyrann Mathieu can, he’ll be a highly valuable asset to NFL defenses. Here we look into whether he can ultimately do that or not.
Three all-22 games and two other regular games were evaluated, and clips from his film are broken down here. All relevant traits were graded based on his film. His scouting report also factored in stats and analytics, such as PFF grades. Use promo code TREYSCHNEIDER on Underdog Fantasy to match your deposit up to $100. Please gamble responsibly and leave your feedback on Twitter @FBIntellect.
| Profile |
|---|
| 1st SA / 1-2 RD | 6’0 / 193 | Class – JR | College – Alabama |
| Pro Comparison |
|---|
| Jalen Pitre |
| Scheme |
|---|
| SS/ Hybrid/ Slot |
Coverage Stats
2022:
TGT – 57
REC – 36
YDS – 240
TD – 2
INT – 2
PDF – 6
2021:
TGT- 55
REC – 37
YDS – 376
TD – 4
INT – 0
PDF – 4
Clip Analysis
In the clip above, Brian Branch quickly recognizes the screen and triggers on the ball to make a big tackle for loss.
Here, he’s in off-man coverage playing the motioned-in slot receiver. He uses a trail technique and waits till the receiver makes his break before jumping the route quickly and aggressively.
Ball HAWKIN' today. @BrianBB_1
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) December 31, 2022
📺 @espn pic.twitter.com/U7PBLedUU5
In the Twitter clip, he makes a fantastic interception. You can see he’s in zone coverage, and he quickly recognizes the route combination, which led to him breaking on the ball to get the pick.
Grades
Overall Draft Grade: 77.2
Impact Grade
Overall – 72.6
FS – 71.1
SS – 73.3
Hybrid – 72.9
Bandit – 74.1
Slot – 77.1
Potential Grade
Overall – 88.0
FS – 86.4
SS – 88.7
Hybrid – 88.2
Bandit – 90.0
Slot – 89.7
Traits/ Skills (see bottom of the page for scale)
Each trait/attribute is graded 1-7.
Safety
| Traits | Immediate | Potential |
| SPD | 5.6 | 5.6 |
| ACC | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| AGI | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| STR | 4.5 | 4.8 |
| RAN | 4.8 | 5.4 |
| DZC | 3.2 | 5 |
| SZC | 5 | 6 |
| MAN | 4.8 | 5.8 |
| BSK | 5.2 | 5.6 |
| IQ | 4.3 | 6 |
| INS | 4.8 | 6.2 |
| TAC | 5.4 | 6.2 |
| BLKS | 3.8 | 5 |
| PUR | 4.8 | 6 |
| Safety Key |
|---|
| SPD – Speed ACC – Acceleration AGI – Agility STR – Strength RAN – Range DZC – Deep Zone Coverage SZC – Shallow Zone Coverage |
| Safety Key Cont. |
|---|
| MAN – Man Coverage BSK – Ball Skills INS – Run Instincts TAC – Tackling PUR – Pursuit BLKS – Block Shedding |
Player Notes
- Brian Branch is a high-IQ, athletic slot defender who has the potential to move around as a true safety. Additionally, he is an outstanding tackler and lets his name be known in run defense.
Pros
- Made the ‘College Football Freaks List 2022‘ by Bruce Feldman and had his speed clock in at 22.3 mph.
- He is the surest tackler I’ve ever evaluated. Tackles with both physicality and good technique.
- Very high football IQ.
- Shows fluid movement skills and adequate change of direction to run with slots.
- Showed good anticipation in match zones.
- Has a smooth backpedal and showed he could play multiple variations of man coverage technique.
- Breaks on routes with good timing and a good burst.
- Has longer arms that allow him to press and develop better ball skills.
- Has an ideal level of strength and plays with an uncoachable level of physicality.
- Has the speed and range to play free safety potentially.
- Brings excellent value as a pass rusher on blitzes.
- Good instincts and a natural feel for maneuvering around blockers.
Cons
- While he has the length, he doesn’t always do much to shed blocks.
- Occasionally will get burned on deep routes by faster slots.
- The ball production isn’t really there.
- He played a conducive role where he might not have the same luxury in the NFL.
- Whenever he played high safety, his instincts dropped off a notch – likely due to a lack of experience.
Final conclusion
Despite being a versatile safety with high-end athletic traits, it’s hard to view him as a true first-round talent. This is mainly because the safety position is an easily replaceable one, and what Branch does isn’t that special. With that being said, taking him will result in a sure-fire stud at nickel with the potential to grow into an Antoine Winfield-esque player. That is worth a late day one or early day two pick.
Combine
40 yd: 4.58
10 yd: 1.56
Shuttle:
3 cone:
Broad: 10’5″
Vertical: 34.5″
Bench: 14
Arm Length: 30 3/4″
Grading Scale
Pot=Potential: players’ highest upside
Imp=Impact: player’s immediate impact
| Draft Grade Formula | |
| Age: 21-22: | POT=(30%) IMP=(70%) |
| Age: 23-24: | POT=(28%) IMP=(72%) |
| Age:-25+: | POT=(26%) IMP=(74%) |
| Good/ bad character: | POT=(+2%/-2%) IMP=(-2%/+2%) |
| Injury: | POT=(-1%) in increments |
| Scheme Grade Weight: |
|---|
| FS=34% SS=26% HYB=26% BAN=14% |
| Individual trait scale (1-7): |
|---|
| 7 – Rare world-class skill; best in the league and no room for improvement | 6 – Great-elite skill; one of the best at that given trait but still has some room to improve | 5 – Very good; above average and has potential to be elite | 4 – Average; able to suffice but, not ideal long-term | 3 – Below average; able to suffice at college level | 2 – Poor; hinders overall play and is a liability to the team | 1 – Awful; not good enough to play given position at any level above D2 | Note: Consistency plays a large factor. |
| Overall Draft grade scale (15-100): |
|---|
| 84 – Perfect prospect | 81 – Bluechip prospect | 80 – Likely all-pro | 79 – Day one quality starter or superstar potential | 78 – Day one starter w/ all-pro upside | 77 – Day one starter w/ high-end upside | 76 – Boom or bust | 75 – Will become quality starter within 2-3 years | 74 – Boom or bust (high risk) | 73 – Will become starter within 2-3 years |
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