Brian Branch 2023 NFL Draft profile: Scout report for the Alabama SAF

Brian Branch, Alabama: 6’0”, 195 pounds; JR.

The number three safety recruit in 2020, Brian Branch started three of 12 games as a true freshman, but was very productive in limited time (27 tackles, seven PBUs and two INTs).

In year two, he turned into a full-time starter, racking up 55 total stops and a team-high nine pass break-ups, along with a sack and fumble recovery each. Those numbers increased significantly last year, with 90 total stops, 14 for loss, three sacks, two INTs and seven PBUs, making him a second-team All-American.

Brian Branch scout report: Strengths

Will Swanson #83 of the Kansas State Wildcats is tackled by Brian Branch

+ Played the STAR spot from the Crimson Tide defense with the physicality of a linebacker, but you saw him basically line up at every single spot in the back-seven for the Crimson Tide at some point.

+ Flies downhill against the run and hits with a purpose, thinking that he’s 220 pounds.

+ Shows some suddenness to navigate around blockers, as well as the force to go through the chest of receivers, when needed.

+ Understands when he can “shoot his shot” and slice through creases in the blocking, to create negative plays – 14 TFLs last year.

+ Has his eyes locked in the backfield as he’s sinking with targets down the seams and rapidly shoots downhill against screens, dump-offs, etc.

+ Earned an elite run-defense grade by PFF last season at 90.7.

+ The best tackler of this entire class, shooting low and clutching the back of the ball-carriers knees, so they can’t pull their feet out – Only missed four tackles for his entire career, giving him a miniscule miss rate of just 2.3% (176 attempts).

+ Played a ton of off-man against a strong group of SEC slot receivers, which may be the most difficult task.

+ Low and balanced in his pedal, with no wasted movement as he has to redirect forward.

+ Excels at reading the hips of his man and is so quick to jump on in-breaking or slot curl routes, where he effectively swipes through the receiver’s hands.

+ Recognizes when the guy across from him tilts his stem and positioning himself to not lose phase on the actual cut.

+ Does well to pin the near-arm of receivers and slow them won by initiating contact in their routes.

+ Has plenty of experience carrying tight-ends and number threes in trips on seams/benders, where he typically stays stride-for-stride with them.

+ What you really like is Branch’s understanding for when to get into the side-shuffle momentarily as receivers are just about to pass him, to not overrun the break-point, but then having the speed to not actually allow the target to detach vertically.

+ Stays locked in on his man and rarely allows them to separate on secondary route, not allowing a single catch of more 20 yards last year.

+ Shows an understanding for route patterns and being able to cut off angles for guys in match-zone.

+ Bama regularly was put in the middle of three-deep safety looks and raced up as a robber/rat, ready to knock the head off guys breaking towards the middle.

+ Confidently drives up against completions in front of him and reliably gets them on the ground.

+ You see Branch go from mugging the A-gap to sinking to the hook/seam area on the field-side, line up over the slot and fly to the deep middle and stuff like that to change up Bama’s coverage looks.

+ As a blitzer, Battle times things up tremendously well and is very deceptive with his body-language, as times leaning as if he’s dropping out after threating up a gap and then shooting through it unblocked.

+ Got that wiggle to not allow running backs in pass-pro to square him up, but he also doesn’t away from running through them.

+ Was one of the most effective pass-rushing DBs in the country across these past two seasons, with 17 total pressures across 80 blitzes (in passing situations).

Brian Branch scout report: Weaknesses

Ben Skowronek #11 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is tackled by Brian Branch

– Sub-par physical dimensions for a slot role nowadays, weighing in at 190 pounds at the combine, with only 30 and ¾-inch arms, where more well-schooled power slot and flex tight-ends may be able to lock him up as blockers.

– There’s a lot of hook and general spot-dropping for Brian Branch, where he doesn’t actually have to flip and run with guys.

– While rarely actually isolated in deep coverage, you see him get beat in those situations a few times – the 4.58 in the 40 is a bit concerning.

– Slot receivers with legit speed can put him on his heels by pushing vertically at him (Texas’ Xavier Worthy and Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt blew by him a couple of times), and guys with a more complete route-tree will be able to take advantage of that space they create for themselves underneath.

Brian Branch scout report: Grade

Phillip Brooks #8 of the Kansas State Wildcats is tackled by Brian Branch

I can promise you that basically every defensive coordinator in the NFL is hoping his team drafts Brian Branch some time in round one.

The way he can even out the numbers in the box as a run-defender from the slot and his type of outstanding tackling would be a major addition for anybody (even though his TFL production was in part due to his freedom to shoot inside of blockers).

I think be an effective safety in a system that allows him to drive on routes from depth and play as that free-roaming defender when dropped down, but his best landing spot remains at nickel.

One question I do have is if he can he play true man-coverage against receivers with legit vertical prowess, when he can’t work with leverage and funnel those guys towards the deep coverage. And you’d like him to be a little bit bigger (without losing speed of course).

If you do have a lockdown number one corner and you want to play that 10-vs-10 with condensed space as Brian Branch is leveraged outside the slot, this is your guy. I don’t think he should slip out of the first round.

Grade: Mid-/Late-first round

You might like other 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Reports: Tyree Wilson (EDGE), Texas Tech; Will Anderson Jr. (EDGE), Alabama; Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR), Ohio; Zay Flowers (WR), Boston; Jordan Addison (WR), USC; Jordan Addison (WR), USC; Quentin Johnston (WR), TCU; Zach Charbonnet (RB), UCLA; Bijan Robinson (RB), Texas.

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