Welcome to Purple & Gold Prospects!

This will be an ongoing series to get Vikings fans familiar with upcoming draft prospects. The focus of this series will be to cover prominent prospects entering the upcoming NFL Draft. The series will center on the position groups of highest need on the current Vikings roster, but will also cover stand-out players across the spectrum. I hope you will join me on this continuing journey to learn more about upcoming draft classes.

With that let’s discover the possible future of your Minnesota Vikings!

Background

Height: 6032

Weight: 257 lbs.

Chris Braswell was a 4-star recruit out of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. His high school career earned him many offers from top programs such as Georgia, Michigan, and Tennessee. Eventually, he would commit to Alabama in 2019. Braswell improved every season with the Crimson Tide, ending his career with 75 tackles, 15.5 TFLs, and 10.5 sacks. This included a 2023 campaign where he exploded for 42 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, 8 sacks, and 1 INT. This along with a great Senior Bowl performance has him well positioned in the group of EDGE rushers just below the elite 1st round prospects and should see his name called on Day 2 of the NFL Draft.

Games watched: Ole Miss 2023, Texas 2023, Texas A&M 2023

Strengths

Chris Braswell has excellent size for the position at 6-3 and 257 lbs. He possesses long arms and great speed that should see him run in the 4.5s at the NFL Combine. He uses this length to keep opponents at bay while continuing to gain ground with his speed and power. His burst and speed off the edge are excellent. Wins many reps with pure speed and great bend to get under and around opposing offensive tackles. He does a good job of setting up blockers with differing speeds of engagement and then bursting past when an opening presents itself. Braswell can also convert very good speed to power to bullrush his opponents and collapse the pocket. He possesses a good long-arm technique to keep linemen off-balance as he rushes the QB. His awareness is also good and always has eyes on the pocket to adjust to QB movement in his rush attempts. When attacking the interior he finds seams in the OL and uses his speed and bend to gain leverage and penetrate into the pocket. In the run game, he anchors well in one-on-one situations and shows a good ability to shed blockers and make a play on the ball. His vision is also above average and flows well to the play. Braswell has a great motor and constantly plays through the whistle to get to the play and in pursuit against ball carriers.

Weaknesses

Braswell does not have a great arsenal of pass-rush moves and counters. If he doesn’t win with his speed or power he currently doesn’t have a follow-up plan. Doesn’t possess many counters currently when he does get engaged. He has relied too heavily on winning with pure power against lesser athletes and will have to develop more technique at the next level against the opponents he will face there. Too often he likes to engage defenders and is inconsistent in winning the leverage battle instead of using his length to keep linemen out of his chest. Braswell also hesitates too often off the snap like his teammate Dallas Turner but to a slightly lesser extent. Will need to trust his instincts more and trigger quicker. His timing off the snap is also inconsistent currently which slows his reps down. In the run game, he can be too passive allowing linemen to get into his chest. While he does have a good ability to shed tackles they can be a tad too late and he will miss the wrap-up. This can also happen in pass rush attempts and QBs can slip through his arms. He will need to work on his timing to consistently finish plays. I would like to see a more consistent pad level throughout his play.

Conclusion

Braswell is a little raw right now but some of his great attributes you cannot teach. He may not be a day 1 starter due to these deficiencies but should immediately have an impact on an NFL team as a rotational pass rusher while he develops. For the Vikings, he would be a great Day 2 selection to pair across from Danielle Hunter. While it may take him several weeks to truly take over as a starter, his pass rush prowess with the abilities he does possess would be a great compliment to that defensive line. I expect him to be selected sometime in round 2 of the upcoming NFL Draft in April as teams tend to prioritize more valuable positions like EDGE rusher.

Grade

Quickness/Burst: 14 / 15

Size/Length: 13.2 / 15

Awareness: 8.5 / 10

Counters/Rush Moves: 6 / 10

Coverage: 7.2 / 10

Dip/Bend: 9 / 10

Power: 8.2 / 10

Run Defense: 7 / 10

Tackling: 7.8 / 10

OVERALL: 80.9 – Late Second Round