Super Bowl LVII hasn’t even been played yet and already we’ve been inundated with mock drafts from the major media outlets. Within that inundation of mock drafts seems to be the Pittsburgh Steelers often selecting Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. at 17th overall and for several obvious reasons. Moving forward into the offseason, be prepared for the possibility of Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee to show up more in major media mock drafts when it comes to the Steelers 17th overall selection in the first round.
For starters, the Steelers are almost certain to be looking for a big defensive lineman in the early rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft and especially if the team doesn’t re-sign soon-to-be unrestricted free agent defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, which could be the case. Remember, the Steelers stand to lose veteran defensive tackle Tyson Alualu to retirement this offseason and veteran defensive end Chris Wormley, who like Alualu and Ogunjobi, is also scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent come March 15. Wormley is also coming off a knee injury as well. The Steelers’ need for another young defensive tackle that can play up and down the line is real this offseason.
Now, back to Bresee. He seems to possess those hard-to-find set of measurables that the Steelers love when it comes to their defensive linemen. While we won’t get updated measurables on Bresee until the annual NFL Scouting Combine takes place, Draft Scout currently has the Clemson defensive tackle listed at 6053, 305-pounds. Another outlet has Bresee possessing 33-inch arms and 10 2/8-inch hands. If you have followed the annual pre-draft measurable studies done by our own Alex Kozora, you know that Bresee should check all the boxes when it comes to his combine physical measurements.
Moving on from measurables, Bresee comes from a Power Five Conference college in Clemson, a program that the Steelers have stayed closely connected to over the years and especially when it comes to head coach Mike Tomlin and former general manager Kevin Colbert making their annual Pro Day rounds. I fully expect that Tomlin and new Steelers general manager Omar Khan will be at Clemson’s 2023 Pro Day several weeks from now. Not that one can read too much into it, Tomlin was photographed talking to Bresee at Clemson’s 2022 Pro Day.
Here’s something else to consider when it comes to Bresee and Clemson. Nick Eason is the defensive line coach for the Tigers. In case you need reminding, Eason was drafted by the Steelers out of Clemson in 2007, which was Tomlin’s first year as the team’s head coach. Eason and Tomlin reportedly have a strong connection these days and for obvious reasons.
Bresee is reportedly a great kid and thus should check the Steelers’ evaluation boxes when it comes to the hearts and smarts categories. He’s also still only 21 years of age with plenty of college playing time experience. If not for a 2021 torn ACL injury, he would have played in even more games at Clemson. He’s overcome quite a bit of adversity in his life already as not only was he able to return from that ACL injury in 2022, but he also lost his younger sister to brain cancer back in September.
The early word from draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network is that “teams are split on Bresee” as he enters the pre-draft process. We’ll see if the Scouting Combine and Pro Day events clears that narrative up some. Even so, I think most major media draftniks still regard Bresee as a possible first-round selection this year as we sit here today. At worst, probably an early second-round prospect. The Steelers currently own the 32nd overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft so I suppose it’s not out of the question that Bresee could fall to them at that spot as well, assuming they bypass him at 17th overall. It’s way, way too early to speculate on that sort of thing, however.
At Clemson, Bresee played in 28 total games on his way to registering 51 total tackles, 15 for loss and nine sacks. He also was credited with four passes defensed and one forced fumble in his time at Clemson. As expected, he received an invitation to the 2023 Scouting Combine and with that, I suspect he will have the Steelers’ attention while in Indianapolis, IN. Unfortunately, the date of the 2023 Clemson Pro Day has yet to be announced. Whenever it winds up being, however, I suspect Tomlin, Khan and others from the Steelers will be present for it.
One of our first few draft profiles this year was on Bresee and it was done by our own Jonathan Heitritter. You can read it at the link below if you feel so inclined.
In closing, if you are building a group of 10 to 20 players that you think could wind up being the Steelers’ 2023 first-round selection as we sit here prior to Super Bowl LVII being played, I really think that Bresee should be included on that list. We’ll see what the rest of the pre-draft process brings but in the meantime, however, nobody should be surprised if Bresee starts showing up more in the major media mock drafts as the Steelers’ 17th overall selection once the 2023 Scouting Combine has wrapped up.
