Washington’s offense gets most of the acclaim, but its defense flashes throughout the year as well. Edge rusher Bralen Trice was one of the country’s best pass rushers and got better as his career progressed.
Now a senior, the former four-star recruit from Phoenix could go as early as Day 1 of the NFL Draft. Here are some of Bralen Trice’s potential landing spots.
Bralen Trice Landing Spots
Trice is one of the best pure pass rushers in the draft, creating 147 pressures in the last two seasons. He’s an ironman, finishing second in the country among defensive linemen with 871 snaps this season.
Trice moves extremely well for his size and changes direction effortlessly. This allows him to use a wide array of pass-rushing moves and succeed against offensive tackles. Even at nearly 275 pounds, Trice usually lined up off the edge in an outside linebacker position.
Baltimore Ravens
Currently one of the Super Bowl favorites, the Ravens should pick at the end of the first round and could use a special edge rusher such as Trice. Trice excels at manipulating tackles with speed-to-power combinations and can boost a Raven front currently relying on a career year from 30-year-old Jadeveon Clowney.
Trice has the size, speed, and athleticism combination that the Ravens have typically targeted in their edge rushers.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills’ pass rush hasn’t met its usual expectations this season. Von Miller is enduring the worst season of his lengthy career, and AJ Epenesa could use a second strong edge rusher to add to his efforts.
MORE: Free NFL Mock Draft Simulator
Trice is very different from Epenesa, who rarely wins with raw athleticism and could be an excellent complement to the 25-year-old.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts will certainly be in the market for an edge rusher in the draft’s early rounds, given their relative inability to get after the quarterback.
While there’s a question about the schematic fit — in Indianapolis, Trice would likely play with his hand in the dirt 100% of the time — Trice is talented enough to warrant picking in the first round, especially if there’s a run on other edge rushers early.
Trice’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Effortlessly explosive mover who can suddenly shift and accelerate with urgent strides.
- Has a long, well-proportioned frame and carries exceptional mass with ease.
- Combined burst, length, and frame density, which grant him exceptional raw power.
- Amped-up and energetic short-area mover with high-end lateral twitch and foot speed.
- Twitched-up ball of energy who can widen tackles and expose them to power.
- Can divert course quickly with agility on outside-inside counters and leave OTs reeling.
- Flashes the necessary ankle flexion to sear through interior gaps on stunts with rips.
- Flashes the ability to acquire proper leverage with his well-proportioned frame.
- Has the composite upper-lower strength to violently stack-and-shed run blocks.
- Stubborn rusher who fights through contact with forceful hands and has a deep arsenal.
- Intelligent and has shown he can sequentially exert power and stack hand moves.
- Can stack elaborate combos like double swipe, rip, and swims while manipulating angles.
- Expert counter combatant who’s very hard to corral with his lateral freedom and instinct.
- Extremely fast closer once he has a lane to the QB; brings an unyielding motor.
- Can rush from four-point stances or be a stand-up rusher at 7-tech and beyond.
Weaknesses
- Doesn’t have high-end hip flexibility, which inhibits change of direction and recovery.
- Lacks the elite ankle flexion necessary to sustain acceleration while sinking by the apex.
- Often passes up on the outside track because he doesn’t have the bend to use it.
- Doesn’t always have the flexibility or long-track speed to convert pressures into sacks.
- Sometimes lacks the raw hand strength to finish moves and fully decouple from blocks.
- Outsmarts himself as a rusher at times and passes up easy chances to apply power.
- On occasion, precision on outside clubs and chops can improve to fully channel force.
- Sometimes drifts too far upright when attempting to offset blockers with lateral agility.
- Tall pad level and poor base load often stall out rushes and inhibit recovery.
- Upright nature can make him easier to displace with power in the run game.
- Sometimes over-zealous and overshoots tackling angles with a runway in pursuit.