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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 |
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
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.
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
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 |
Pros
Cons
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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