Brandon Dorlus, IDL, Oregon (Senior)
Rayane M
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Strengths :
- Very interesting potential on Pass rush
- Displays an explosiveness that is dream-inducing.
- Technical repertoire showing significant improvement.
- Hybride profil
- In terms of Power rusher he is progressing
- Good ability to disrupt short passing lanes.
Weaknesses :
- Not the best cardio in the draft.
- Often the last to get set before the snap.
- Lack of overall power.
- Bend average
- Doesn't use his length enough to create separation
- Leverage
- Hardly ever uses a Counter move
- Plays too often off balance
- Run defense ability abandoned in favor of Pass rush
IDL Brandon Dorlus
— Rayane M (@RayaneScout) January 6, 2023
Work in progress
A special case in this draft due to his specification for a particular position. ATM He's a pure 30 front DE.
He lacks the power to play regularly inside but he's explosive and is very active in pass rush situations.
Early 3rd day talent 🏗 pic.twitter.com/VX1m6clF1l
TTProfil
A player who has worked tirelessly to force the eyes to focus on him, Brandon Dorlus has certainly made significant progress this season under the guidance of his Head Coach Dan Lanning. However, there are still many questions in my opinion about certain very important aspects for an interior defensive lineman like him.
To begin with, you would have to be blind not to be interested in the potential Brandon shows in his ability to rush the QB. Already in the 2022 season, Dorlus put in significant work on working with opposing arms and on his technique. While I was somewhat mixed on his approach to working with the offensive line, which still involved too much simply going around them during technique passages and losing a lot of time in the hunt by doing so, Brandon has worked on his entire technical repertoire. If the point highlighted just before is not yet completely resolved, and we will come back to it later in the article, Dorlus's progression in his ability to put pressure on the QB is undeniable.
As I was saying, last season Brandon continued to refine his repertoire of moves and techniques Pass rush, we now have a true sequence of Chop and no longer the semblance of movement he liked to do in 2022. The Rip move also comes out more easily, and Brandon no longer hesitates to force on the shoulder he attacks to make the blocker's task more difficult. His use of Swim His use of the swim move is still as sharp and explosive, and finally, it's very interesting, but he seems to have developed a nice Push-pull (cf sack on Shedeur Sanders vs Colorado) thanks to the fact that he forces himself to play with more power, which has opened up this option for him. Clearly, Dorlus has progressed a lot in this regard.
Another point that allows Dorlus to be as dangerous on his Pass rush It's his explosiveness in these phases of the game. It will be interesting to see how he can be utilized in various Stunts by his new team because the flashes of explosiveness he sometimes shows are very impressive, we like it!
If being explosive is a great asset when trying to put pressure on the opposing QB, another aspect that can make a difference in situation of Pass rush, it's the ability of a rusher to change pace during the action to shake off blockers more easily, and once again Brandon has improved compared to last season.
pass rush, and he's much better at changing pace during the pass rush situation now compared to before. Pass rush,although there is room for further improvement, it's already on a completely different level compared to what he showed in 2022. With the development of his technical repertoire and the enhancement of his footwork On this specific point, it's easy to see the statistical improvement this season in terms of sacks. He flashes much more in these situations, maintaining this exciting developmental aspect despite being 23 years old.
Still on his Pass rush, beside the Push-pull, we see him try more and more Bull-rush On weaker opponents, these two moves clearly show that he is trying to develop his Power rusher side. This is a good point, even though I'm waiting to see if he'll be able to do it consistently against players of a much higher caliber in the NFL.
The last interesting point regarding Brandon's ability to defend the pass is his knack for disrupting short passing lanes. Thanks to his long arms, it's not uncommon to see Dorlus, when well-blocked and seeing the QB wind up, regularly raise his arms to maximize disruption for the QB. Every big play will be decisive in carving out a place among the pros, and this season we've seen Brandon manage to deflect a large number of passes when QBs decide to stretch their throws a bit too much. With 7 pass breakups (compared to 5 for the rest of his college career), he has more pass deflections than some defensive backs, highlighting the quality he brings in this area.
I appreciated the more powerful aspect he showed this season; he seems to have a better punch and appears to want to create more separation by extending his arms. The only problem is that he's developing this tool quite late in his development, so there are quite a few issues with his hand placement. They are often placed too far apart and too high to really work on the blocker, not to mention the difference in level on this point with the guys playing the same position in the NFL. So, it's a good thing to see him seeking to improve his ability to defend the run; he's much more active in the upper body to try to shed blocks when he's in situations of Run stop, but there is a lot of work, however.
Finally, while Brandon seems to be clearly headed towards a position as a 3-technique defensive tackle in a 4-3 front, we've seen in 2022 and even more so in 2023 that Brandon has a real potential as a defensive end in a 3-4 front. In some situations, there's even a possibility of seeing him lined up on the edge as a Weak side defensive end in heavier and sturdier packages. Otherwise, most of the time he should be lined up as Strong side DE (Bigger frame than a Edge rusher and potentially better equipped to defend the run but less effective at rushing the QB, the Strong side DE can definitely rush the QB but maintains run defense as its primary responsibility. It's a build halfway between a DT and an EDGE. In my opinion, it's as a DE in a 3-4 front that he could develop best.
Indeed, Brandon Dorlus seems to have a significant emphasis on his ability to rush the QB, but there's been little mention of his run defense capabilities, which is ironic for a DL likely destined to play on the interior rather than the edge. This aspect is somewhat concerning and doesn't paint him as a top prospect in my view.
We'll come back later to his weaknesses in run defense; for now, let's discuss some minor points to work on for Brandon, starting with his cardio, which will need to be closely monitored. Indeed, Dorlus is not one to play at half-speed when on the field; quite the contrary, he gives his all on every play, which can lead to quick fatigue. Speaking from personal experience as a former DL for over 10 years, playing at full intensity while engaging in intense efforts like rushing, pushing against OL, tackling ball carriers, and more, can quickly drain energy levels.
So, when Brandon remains on the field for prolonged periods, his performance drops significantly. This lack of productivity was evident in his 2022 season and can be directly attributed to the coaching staff. However, as seen in the 2023 season, rotating him more frequently didn't significantly reduce his reps but actually doubled his sack count. Therefore, it will be crucial for his franchise to manage his playing time effectively, and for Brandon to work on his cardio to maintain performance over extended periods.
One point that really frustrated me while studying Brandon Dorlus's tapes is his almost constant struggle to be properly aligned and set at the snap. It's incredibly frustrating to see him still adjusting his position when the play begins, leading to numerous instances where he's beaten without even getting a chance to make a play. It's really exasperating!
If it's as a 3-technique defensive end that I see him having the best possible development, and if there's clearly improvement in his ability to read and play in a modern 3-4 front in the NFL (with multiple gap responsibilities, 1-and-a-half gap / 2-gap), we're still not there yet, and he'll still have a lot of work to do to claim a starting spot in a scheme like that. Firstly, because it's in the "downhill" gap attack where he shines the most. He can explode into his gap and avoid physical confrontation with offensive linemen as much as possible (we'll get there, I promise), unlike a scheme that requires him to read the game and take on the block initially.
Furthermore, while it was a good thing to see him drop into zone coverage a bit this season to add that aspect to his game and appeal to teams likely to play zone blitz (like the Steelers or Vikings), it's still really mediocre. His mobility is quite average, his feet are "in the cement," and without having the necessary reading basics to handle a zone, it's easy to see that Brandon is not comfortable at all in that role.
For now, sending him into zone coverage remains very anecdotal, but I appreciate the fact that Dan Lanning has given him these opportunities to show that he is "capable" of doing it.
But we're getting to the heart of the problem that arises with Dorlus: if it's in a system that requires attacking the gaps where he seems most comfortable, he doesn't yet have the physical capabilities to assume the role of a true Tech-3 in the NFL.
He sometimes seems to lack power in the lower body to play inside; you don't feel with Brandon that dominating aspect capable of attacking the line of scrimmage and aggressively engaging blockers to create chaos or even simply absorbing blocks but being able to stay well in place.
Whether we're talking about the 2022-2023 season or the 2023-2024 season, I have the same criticism to make of him, whether it's in a situation of Pass rush or Run stop, he prefers to rely on his speed and sort of "evade" the physical confrontation with the offensive line to try to outmaneuver his opponent rather than penetrate the pocket from the inside, and I don't think it's because of fear but rather because he simply lacks the power to do so, which is problematic for a DT.
If I have to acknowledge that he has tried to do it a bit more this season, he did so without much real conviction, and that's a bit of a shame. It was much better, for example, during the one-on-one matchups at the Senior Bowl where he did it with much more conviction, and that changes everything.
In terms of the power he can develop in his upper body, it's not necessarily better. While he has indeed tried to extend his arms more often, he lacks a strong punch to really jolt the blockers. So, although he tries to extend his arms well, he doesn't punch effectively, which doesn't help him create separation and be more impactful against running plays.
Another point where Dorlus frustrated me and which could elevate him to another level, as it would impact both his ability to defend the run and the pass if he could do it consistently, is playing low but especially maintaining his power angle to leverage well against his opponents (the famous " Leverage) because it's quite simple, he consistently stands up too quickly! Always! Always!
Watching Dorlus, it's insane to see this, and sorry if I'm stepping out of the very formal article frame, but I'll give you a raw snippet of the scouting as I wrote it down live, if you prefer:
"Too high! Too high! He's constantly too high!!! Go to the gym and work on your thighs, damn it, you're too high! As soon as he works low with arms extended, he dominates thanks to huge explosiveness!"
Since we're briefly discussing his abilities in Pass rush which are clearly one of his strengths, I take the opportunity to quickly mention his Bend which is really nothing extraordinary, and also because it's not uncommon to see Brandon throw himself headlong into his movement, even if it means ending up completely off balance and getting tossed around by his counterpart.
I wonder if he really has a plan of Pass rush In mind when he plays or if he simply plays by instinct and I would moreover tend to lean towards the second option. The concern that arises from this is that his instinct dictates absolutely no Counter move Most of the time, so if his initial technical move fails, Brandon will just be non-existent on the rep. If he doesn't work on this point, it can quickly become a problem at the higher level, but I'm hopeful that he'll develop when I see his performances at the Senior Bowl, where he proved on a rep that circulated widely on social media that he was capable of delivering a superb Spin move in Counter move.
Brandon was ultimately a fairly undeveloped project coming out of his 2022 season, and while he did indeed have some nice tools in his arsenal that could have certainly appealed to certain coaches looking to develop him, I think he made a very good decision by staying for one more season at Oregon under the guidance of Dan Lanning.
He was able to develop on a multitude of fronts, and if he was a player certainly interesting on Pass rush, he was not exciting. He is now, today, at least on this specific point.
If I still find him frankly average in his ability to defend the run, especially if asked to Stuff a gap and read the game, it must be acknowledged that he has also progressed there as well.
I still find that he lacks a bit of strength and power, but we have again seen him make progress, and I believe that Brandon could still further develop physically once he arrives in the NFL.
So, we find ourselves with a 23-year-old player who still seems to be in full development, and while I can understand that this might deter some, he has proven to me that he is still progressing visibly when placed in good hands. Even I, who a year ago couldn't see him succeeding as a DT on a 40 front, now think, "why not?" if he's taken at the right time. He has indeed risen significantly in value in my eyes.
With his impressive progression, his ability to generate a lot of pressure in passing situations thanks to a very nice and varied technical palette, and a lot of explosiveness, he could, with a bit of work on his reads, be a real future option as a DE on a 30 front. However, regardless of the defensive scheme he lands in, he will need to push himself and work tirelessly on his ability to defend the run to hope to become a starter. There is still a lot of work to be done in this regard, but there are real reasons for hope for Brandon Dorlus, as evidenced by his solid performance at the Senior Bowl.
Brandon Dorlus, whom I saw last year as a late 5th round pick, is now, in my opinion, a player deserving of a 3rd round pick. I wouldn't even be surprised to see a competent coaching staff from a well-ranked team decide to snatch him up at the end of the 2nd round just to make sure they get him, even just based on his capabilities as a Pass rusher.
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