The 2023 season is on the horizon and there are several exciting new names in the fold for the Saints, one of which is rookie defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, selected by the team in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
There’s a lot of optimism about the boost he can bring to the defensive side of the ball for a New Orleans team that hopes to be the best in the NFC South this season, but there is some doubt there as well.
More specifically, from the likes of those such as Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report. Ballentine recently pinned Bresee as the likeliest bust of the Saints’ 2023 season:
“In 2022, the Saints took Trevor Penning, a boom-or-bust prospect in the first round of the draft to step into a critical role as a rookie.
Penning ended up not fulfilling those expectations. An injury prevented him from making his debut until Week 12 and he didn’t make his first start until the final game of the season where he suffered a Lisfranc injury that kept him out of OTAs.
History has repeated itself in the Bayou.The Saints lost a considerable amount of talent on the defensive line. David Onyemata and Shy Tuttle both left on the interior of the defensive line with Marcus Davenport also leaving them with a need for more pass-rushing.
In theory, Bryan Bresee will help in both departments, offering pass rush while taking some of the snaps left behind by Onyemata and Tuttle.
In the long-term, the potential of the former 5-star recruit is undeniable. In the short-term there’s reason to worry about his injury history and lack of technique. Here’s what B/R scout Matt Holder wrote about Bresee in his scouting report:
“… he has missed nearly as many games as he’s played. That’s prevented him from showing he can pair his physical traits with clean technique and likely made it difficult to iron out kinks in his game.”
Now Bresee is going to be expected to stay healthy in the grind of an NFL season while learning the finer points of playing defensive line on the fly. It’s a lot to ask.”
There have been several first-rounders throughout football history who have fallen far short of the expectations, and only time will tell if Bresee becomes one of them — it’s obviously still way too early to do anything but make educated predictions for the long-term.
Based on his injury-limited snap counts at Clemson, though, reaching maximum potential will most definitely hinge on him remaining healthy.
The former Tiger totaled 430 reps in 2020, 152 in 2021, and 330 in 2022. It’s easy to see the differences there when one compares that to the players he’s replacing in New Orleans. David Onyemata had 682 snaps in 2022, while Shy Tuttle had 557 and Kentavius Street had 518.
How Bresee can manage this going forward as he also takes the jump to the next level will be something to keep an eye on.
