From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, Day 3 selections, or priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Washington LB Carson Bruener.
No. 42, CARSON BRUENER, LB, WASHINGTON (Redshirt Senior) — 6012, 227 pounds
-2025 East-West Shrine Bowl participant
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Carson Bruener | 6012/227 | 9 1/4″ | 31 3/4″ | 78 1/4″ |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.58 | 1.57 | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 9’11” | 33.5″ | N/A |
THE GOOD
-Physical linebacker who is at his best working downhill against the run
-Stays square in the hole, taking on blockers; assignment sounds playing the run, very disciplined
-Tackling machine; constantly around the football when on the field
-Brings a real toughness, lunchpail attitude to defense; played through shoulder injury
-Improved as a coverage linebacker in senior season; showed comfort in zone, and ability to carry seam/crossers in man
-Able to understand/process route combinations quickly and fill in the space in coverage
-Special teams production across four seasons in college
-Willing defender to take on blocks, able to make plays through contact against the run
-Shows the ability to keep his eyes in the backfield while sifting through traffic against the run
THE BAD
-Lacks that true sideline-to-sideline speed and range
-Has some issues working laterally against the run; loses foot races in space
-Can be slow to process at times, like there’s a disconnect from what he’s seeing to his body reacting against the run on occasions
-Limited frame from a tackling perspective; won’t make many plays outside of his frame
-Short-area quickness a concern; not the athlete like others at the position in recent drafts
-Doesn’t provide much as a blitzer; more effort than impact
BIO
-Named a team captain for 2024 season by Washington teammates
-Played in and started all 13 games for Washington in 2024, leading team in tackles. Finished season with 104 tackles, two tackles for loss, three interceptions, one forced fumble and five pass breakups
-Was one of just two Big Ten defensive players with 100+ tackles and three or more interceptions in 2024
-Voted third-team All-Big Ten; voted team defensive MVP at award banquet
-Was honorable mention All-Pac 12 in 2023 as a rotational defensive player for Huskies in run to national championship
-Played in 52 career games at Washington (14 starts), finishing with 306 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, five interceptions, 14 pass breakups, four forced fumbles
-Son of former Washington All-American tight end and Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round draft pick Mark Bruener
-Former 3-star linebacker coming out of high school who chose Washington as a legacy player
TAPE BREAKDOWN
A legacy player at Washington who carved his own path, Huskies’ linebacker Carson Bruener has positioned himself to carve out a role in the NFL and forge his own path at the highest level of football through hard work and determination.
The son of former Steelers’ tight end Mark Bruener, who is currently a scout for the Steelers, Carson Bruener brings a rather strong resume to the pre-draft process. A team captain at Washington in 2023, one of just two linebackers in the Big Ten with 100+ tackles and three+ interceptions last season, and more than 300 career tackles has Bruener on the radar of the NFL as a potential three-down linebacker and special teams demon.
He’s not as athletic as some other linebackers in the class, but he finds a way to make plays time and time again with good technique and a want-to that is off the charts.
Bruener plays hard and can read the play by keeping his eyes in the backfield while still having a feel for what blockers are trying to do to him. It’s a skill set that not every linebacker has, but Bruener does, and it shows up on tape repeatedly.
He can process and find the football quickly, leading to him being around the ball constantly and racking up tackles.
Overall, he is a smart football player, which isn’t a surprise considering his bloodlines. He can take things from film study and recognize them on the field, allowing him to react in the moment and be a step ahead of plays, much like he was here in the national championship game last year against Michigan.
Bruener isn’t the best athlete for the position and doesn’t have the greatest lateral agility, but he has a knack for making plays all over the field. Even when he is slow to process and react, he can change directions and put himself on a line to make a play.
Watch this rep against Texas in 2023.
Again, you can see he’s a bit hesitant as he’s trying to read the blocking in front of him. He’s a tick slow, but he can put himself on the correct path to get to the ball carrier, shutting it down for a short gain.
That’s a positive rep, even if it went for a 5-yard run.
Bruener’s eyes are good for the position. That’s a huge positive for him. He can read the play and work downhill to fill his gap while never taking his eyes out of the backfield. More often than not, he will be in the gap making the tackle.
Really good work here to stay patient, trust his eyes, and let them lead him to the hole, leading to him making a stick in the hole for no gain against Indiana in 2024. Notice how he stays square to the line of scrimmage, too, never allowing himself to pick a side and take himself out of the play.
Where the ability to read plays through blockers and keep his eyes in the backfield while avoiding blocks and making plays showed up against Penn State in a big way.
That’s a terrific job of reading the play, tracking it, avoiding the climbing lineman at the second level, and showing off the tracking ability to work downhill laterally and make the play.
Sound tackling technique, too. He’s consistently square to the ball carrier, and when he arrives, he’s making the play.
I initially had a big concern about Bruener’s coverage. He doesn’t profile as a coverage linebacker, and he does his best work against the run. But he’s adequate in coverage and could hold up in a three-down role if need be.
He did a nice job of dropping in zone here against USC last season, reading the quarterback’s eyes to sink underneath a route, and then showing off his ball skills by high-pointing the football for the interception.
This was one of his two interceptions in the game, and he also had a nice play in coverage earlier.
He’s sucked in initially on the play-action, but he’s able to figure out quickly it’s not a run and has the wherewithal to find the crosser and drop into space. That’s an efficient play from Bruener, picking up the crosser and getting into the throwing lane.
Though it’s a bad pass, allowing Bruener to nearly pick it, it was a good rep in coverage, showing his ability to read things, drop, and find the most dangerous guy.
My only real issue with Bruener on tape is the lack of lateral agility and true sideline-to-sideline speed. He has good eyes to read the play and put himself in position, but lateral agility is lacking.
Here, he’s able to read the play against Michigan this past season, but once the running back is even with him, Bruener doesn’t have the burst or foot speed to make this play in space. That’s the only true knock in his game that worries me about the transition, not the next level as a true three-down linebacker.
CONCLUSION
There’s a lot to like with the bloodlines when it comes to Bruener, and he has a great attitude, based on the interview with Steelers Depot at the East-West Shrine Bowl in Dallas. The tape is quite good, too. He’s a tackling machine, tough as nails, and a good communicator and leadership presence.
Bruener showed his strengths working downhill against the run and flashed the ability to work in coverage, particularly zone, where he has good eyes and a good feel for what offenses are trying to do. His ball skills are above average for the position, too. I just have real concerns about his lateral agility, though.
He can develop into a rotational linebacker who can handle a three-down role for an extended stretch. Still, at the very least right away, Bruener can be a key special teams piece that can eventually be a special teams captain in the league.
Projection: Late Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 6.6 — Backup/Special Teamer
Games Watched: Texas (2023), Michigan (2023), Michigan (2024), USC (2024), Indiana (2024), Penn State (2024)
