Bralen Trice, EDGE, Washington (Junior)

Rayane M

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Strengths :

Big frame
Good Run stop
Plays with good pad level
Uses his Long arm
Capable of using hands well
Effective in zone coverage drops
Very interesting on Stunts

Weaknesses :

Loses too much time on his Pass rush
No plan on his Pass rush
Tackling technique needs improvement
Below-average ability to disengage
Insufficient explosiveness on his Takeoff
Relies too much on shoulder play

EDGE Bralen Trice

Great potential, capable of playing in different positions depending on the system, He could interest more than one staff.
While he's still extremely raw in many aspects, it wouldn't be surprising to see teams picks him too early for his real value

4th Rnd 🏗 pic.twitter.com/UzuBrW09jZ
— Rayane M (@RayaneScout) February 23, 2024

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Bralen Trice is a player who has developed in a mold that we have seen more and more in recent years. If I mention Travon Walker to you, does that ring a bell?
That's good, because today we're diving into the scouting of Bralen Trice and you might see some similarities.

To start, the characteristic large build of Power rusherAt 274 pounds standing at 6'4", Bralen is a big boy at the position. For comparison, Travon Walker, who secured his spot as the top pick in the draft two years ago thanks to his incredible athletic abilities for his size, was 6'5" and 270 pounds. So, we're looking at fairly similar measurements for both players.

Another point of comparison between Walker and Trice, (but which is also a point of comparison for any other Power rusher) is the potential of Bralen in Run stop and in particular in situations of Run stuff or Gap control (le fait de contrôler/garder son gap tout simplement) grâce à une bonne puissance physique.
Bralen is heavy, and he uses his weight and strength effectively to maintain his responsibility gap and secure it. Beyond his weight and power, it's not uncommon to see Bralen playing with good pad level, which helps him defend against the run. However, I would like to see him manage to play as low when he decides to start in a stance with 2-Points as when he is using the 3-Pointsstance. (the Stance in 2-points represent the fact of starting in a standing position with 2 points of anchor in the ground, where the 3-points is the "classical" starting position of any DL with the hand on the ground and so 3 points of anchor on the ground. Finally we have the 4-points which is the starting position with 2 hands on the grounds so 4 points of anchor on the ground and he is often used by DT)

In terms of Pass rush, I find it very poor. Except a good use of the technique Long arm (using the length of a single arm like a spear that would come to plant itself on a point of imbalance of the OL and then simply push like on a Bull-rush) Bralen doesn't show much. We have the classic palette of the Power rusher, namely the big, brute Bull-rush and some Push-pull here and there, but it remains very average.
When he makes the effort, he can show a nice activity with his hand play, which is actually quite nice with both active and violent hands. The only problem being that he doesn't use it enough. It's a shame.
Still on his ability to rush the QB, I found him really interesting on some Stunts which required him to crash inside the Offensive Line, it's a point to keep in mind for the team selecting him next April.

Finally, the last interesting point about Bralen Trice, and for this one, I was quite surprised because it's not necessarily where I expected him to excel, but Bralen has a really good ability to drop into zone coverage. He seems very comfortable with it, and while he certainly doesn't have the most fluid hips among all defensive prospects, it's worth noting that for a player of his size, I find him quite good at his zone coverage assignments. We know that in the NFL, everything moves faster on offense, so it will be interesting to see how he fares, but it's a positive aspect for Trice and his potential usage in different defensive schemes.

Now let's talk about some head scratching things with Bralen Trice. Let's start with the same problems as all Power rusher The fact that he loses too much time against a blocker. Bralen spends a lot of time "fighting" against his blocker, constantly, and as I mentioned earlier, this is often the issue with powerful players and physically-oriented as a Power rush leaving CollegeEven once in the pros, we see this tendency among power rushers. They enjoy contact too much but lose efficiency because of it. Bralen will need to work on this aspect to develop well.

To talk about his ability to rush the opposing QB, as I mentioned in the strengths section, Bralen clearly lacks variety in his technical repertoire, but that's not all. In my opinion, he also lacks a crucial aspect, which is explosiveness in his first step on his Takeoff. We know that the level of offensive linemen in the NFL is truly different from that in college football, and I'm afraid that this lack of explosiveness could cost Bralen dearly in his ability to rush because he's clearly not among the players who have a good Takeoff, On the contrary, he can even sometimes appear very sluggish to get out of his Stance .

Furthermore, I'm definitely not convinced of Trice's ability to have a Pass rush plan, he seems to play only with instinct. (A Pass rush plan plan for their pass rush in advance, thus mixing their various techniques in an orderly manner to maximize efficiency by choosing to weaken an OL's resistance to a particular technique by presenting other techniques that seem predictable before surprising them when they are most vulnerable. All good EDGE rushers have a Pass rush plan plan in their head when playing a game, and they change it according to the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents).

Let's now talk about his ability to defend the run, which, as I remind you, is his major strength. First off, one thing that frustrates me with him is his tendency to engage blockers with his shoulder. For those who might struggle to see what I mean, essentially, Bralen comes in with a big shoulder hit on blockers, which often puts him behind on some tackling attempts because he ends up with his arms blocked, stuck to the blocker, and with his shoulders turned towards the blocker rather than facing the play.

With his playing style, Bralen should be able, at the college football level, to create distance with the opposing blocker between 7 and 8 times out of 10, but here, we are well below that number. This is mainly due to two things: first, he simply does not extend his arms enough to create any separation, with the strength that he has, his ability to stay low when he starts in 3-points and his size, He has the weapons to keep distance from the offensive lineman, but too often he attacks his opponent by charging at him recklessly and getting too close.

In conclusion, while Bralen Trice may seem to be the Travon Walker of this draft class, he does not possess the same insane explosiveness or completely wild athletic abilities.
Furthermore, unlike last year's Myles Murphy or Felix Anudike-Uzomah, I don't see in Bralen Trice the type of potential I had glimpsed in them for a position change as a 3-technique defensive end or a defensive tackle. Bralen seems somewhat limited in certain power matchups with powerful offensive linemen he has faced. I clearly haven't seen the flashes that these guys have shown in certain situations that could really resemble the job of an interior defensive lineman.

As for his current position as an EDGE rusher, I see what he can become, and let's be clear, he has some really interesting points to develop in his game. However, I also see some definite limitations on which I have absolutely no idea if he will be able to overcome them, and if he is capable, how long it will take for him to develop. That worries me a bit, to be honest.
That being said, I would like to see him in a different system where he would have more responsibility in aggressing the Line of Scrimmage (LoS) because I think he has a nice potential to penetrate the offensive line with his power, especially in situations of Run stop.
Pour ce qui est de son Pass rush, I find him really really Raw and there is still a lot to be done to expand his technical repertoire, which for the moment is really poor. Additionally, Bralen has the same issue as many Power rusher out of college, as they are powerful, they want to showcase their strength by physically dominating their opponents on every rep, even though it is not always the most effective way to do their job. Bralen confirms this tendency once again by wasting too much time and energy fighting with the OL.

But then, what to do with Bralen Trice and especially where to use him for the best development?
Well, that's the problem. It's rare that I don't know what to do with a player, but that's the case with Bralen. On one hand, his contribution and potential against the run interest me a lot as a 4-3 defensive end, but also potentially as a 3-technique defensive end, where his role would resemble that of a defensive tackle, but where his ability to drop into zone coverage could be really enticing in a system that uses zone blitzes (like what Pittsburgh or the Ravens often do). Bralen could also simply be used as an edge rusher in a 3-4 front, which is his current position at Washington.
So, one might think that's perfect because he could play in any of those positions, but the problem is that in all the positions I just mentioned, I find flaws in his game. To play in all these positions, he lacks sharpness in his explosiveness and movements, which may prevent him from shining, a lack of tackling technique which causes him to miss a large number of tackles both in space and in the box, and also a lack of technique in his Pass rush which is too poor for the moment to be a real threat. A complex situation.

All these factors have led Bralen Trice to drop to the 4th round in my evaluation. Even then, his strengths and relatively young age prevent him from falling further.
Bralen Trice is therefore an intriguing player, but still very raw, and especially one who can be used in multiple ways depending on where he lands, which could play a significant role in his development and future career.

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Bralen Trice, EDGE, Washington (Junior)

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