The New Orleans Saints have done a great job navigating free agency to where they won’t be forced to reach on a position of need in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. They’ve addressed holes at quarterback, running back, tight end, and defensive tackle through the first week of veteran signings, so they can go into April looking to add the best prospects available.
Here’s an idea of who might be available from ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. In his last mock draft, Kiper had the Saints picking Georgia Bulldogs tight end and professional people-mover Darnell Washington, but in this scenario he has the Cincinnati Bengals picking Washington one slot ahead of New Orleans. So this time, he’s projecting the Saints to select Clemson Tigers defensive tackle Bryan Bresee:
New Orleans, back in Round 1 after Denver gave up this pick in the deal for coach Sean Payton, is in an interesting spot. It just added quarterback Derek Carr, and it has a talented, veteran roster — with a few holes. It has tried to plug a few of those holes, notably by turning over the defensive tackle position, adding Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd in free agency. Those two defenders have never played full-time roles, however, so the Saints should add another tackle if Bresee is available. Bresee had a fantastic workout at the combine, making my risers list. He could see the field early and often for this team.
Bresee is a prospect with tremendous — but as of yet, unfulfilled — athletic potential. He earned a Relative Athletic Score of 9.58 after timing the 40-yard dash in just 4.86 seconds at 6-foot-4 1/2 and 298 pounds, with 32 1/2-inch arms. He also crushed his agility runs with a three-cone drill of 7.41 seconds and a short shuttle of 4.38 seconds, both very impressive numbers for a big man.
But the production isn’t there. Bresee doesn’t quite seem to know what to do with his hands on passing downs. He’s generated just 60 quarterback pressures on 558 career pass-rush snaps per Pro Football Focus charting. And he’s let some plays get away from him with 8 missed tackles on 51 career attempts at Clemson. A lot of that inconsistency is due to serious adversity; Bresee mourned the sudden passing of his sister last year and missed time with a torn ACL, shoulder surgery, and a freak kidney infection earlier in his Clemson career. It’s challenging for a 21-year-old to manage all of that.
Still, he has a lot of fans in NFL draft circles. Multiple teams are likely considering him in the first round of this year’s event. If a team can get him into a positive situation with a strong supporting cast and quality coaching, maybe they can help Bresee play his best football.
