Getty Bryan Bresee on the podium during the 2023 NFL combine.
The Detroit Lions have made a commitment to building through the NFL draft, and it’s clear that is going to continue into the future in a big way.
Detroit has made a point of finding hungry young players during the pre-draft process and identifying their fit. That process has stood out in a big way for many in the prospect pool who follow the team closely.
One such player could be Clemson defensive lineman Bryan Bresee. Bresee, a hard-nosed player, is getting his chance to shine during the NFL combine this week, and took time to meet with the media.
Early in the press conference, a reporter asked Bresee about joining the Lions. It was clear that could be something he is open to given how the team plays and how young they are as Kyle Richardson showed in a tweet.
@bryan_bresee thoughts on potentially playing for the #Lions who don’t have a player over the age of 29 right now. #NFLCombine
“Yeah, that’d be great. Super. A very young team. They had a very good past year. I’d love playing with a team with a lot of energy and ‘want-to’ and a lot of stuff to prove. So it would be awesome,” Bresee says in the clip of Detroit.
That kind of attitude feels as if it would mesh well with Detroit, especially head coach Dan Campbell, who along with Brad Holmes has made no bones about the fact that the team looks for gritty players that fit the team’s tough culture first and foremost.
It would be easy to see Bresee as the kind of player who makes that kind of impact when he comes into the NFL. To that end, hearing that he is intrigued by Detroit is certainly noteworthy in the process. Bresee is trending as a first-round pick, and has been mocked to Detroit a few times already.
If the Lions sit down with Bresee and get to know him better, they could find the fit natural for the future. If that happens, it’s clear that the stud ACC defender probably wouldn’t mind it one bit.
Lions Must Look at Defensive Line Upgrades
Detroit is coming into the offseason with a major goal to add some depth up front on the line, and the defensive tackle spot would seemingly be a good place for that to start.
Last year, the Lions allowed an ugly 2,491 yards on the ground as well as 145.6 yards per-game on average. The team also coughed up 22 rushing touchdowns. All of this was good to place them 29th in the league, which was right near the bottom statistically.
While the team has some good young prospects in Alim McNeill and Josh Paschal and players they should re-sign in Isaiah Buggs and John Cominsky, there could be the need for another player up front to help steady things.
Detroit should have plenty of avenues to beef up the line. While the team could look at the draft market, they could have plenty of cash to spend in free agency, and some veteran players to offer solutions there. Daron Payne is off the market, but another player like Javon Hargrave could enter and make sense for Detroit.
Additions in free agency may not prevent the Lions from making a move in the draft, but it could lower their need for a top prospect in the draft. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how the Lions go about making fixes for the offseason up front.
Bryan Bresee’s College Stats & Highlights
At Clemson, Bresee has been one of the true studs for the team’s defense, and has proven a force in just three years of play time.
After emerging as a freshman in 2020 with 23 tackles and four sacks with one forced fumble, Bresee had a slow next two seasons, putting up just four total sacks and 26 tackles. Still, he has an NFL body as the highlights show.
Bresee has endured multiple injuries the last two seasons while playing for the Tigers, which has prevented him from making a bigger impact on the field. Still, he is very athletic and explosive in the middle of the line, and could be a player
Detroit could let him develop and give him a chance to join a defensive front that already has major upside for the future. If he believes he fits the culture, the addition could be even more of a win in the end for the Lions.