Brian Branch Scouting Report: The Best Tackler In The Class

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.

Coverage Stats

2022:

2021:

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.

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

Traits/ Skills (see bottom of the page for scale)

Each trait/attribute is graded 1-7.

Safety

Player Notes

Brian Branch Bio

• 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