2017 NFL Draft Profile: Caleb Brantley
After being thought of as a surefire pick to go in the top two rounds, Caleb Brantley’s draft stock took a huge blow on Sunday. The Florida defensive tackle was charged with battery for assaulting a woman. He is going to slip way down draft boards now, but does still have the talent to be picked.
Combine Results:
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 307 Ibs
Broad Jump: 105 inches
Vertical Jump: 27 inches
40-yard Dash: 5.14 seconds
Bench Press: 21 reps
3-Cone Drill: 7.66 seconds
20-yard Shuttle: 4.62 seconds
Strengths
Brantley is highly effective with one on one blocks. He has the strength to take on a guard or center and ultimately overpower him to get after the quarterback. This strength helps him get better as a play goes on. If the quarterback is sitting in the pocket surveying the field, Brantley is good at using that time to eventually get after him. Some defensive tackles have an initial burst they use to get pressure. Brantley likes to grind it out.
When he does get past his initial block, he’s gone. He’s quick in the open field, and usually takes the right route to the ball. With this speed, when he guesses the snap count and times it right, his blocker has no chance. Speed right off the snap isn’t his biggest strength, but when he gets a chance to use it can accelerate into the gap and end the play quickly. This helps against non-mobile quarterbacks on passing plays and running backs on simple inside handoff concepts.
The versatility the second team all SEC defensive tackle has will appeal to a lot of NFL coaches. He is obviously good at defensive tackle, but there could be a future for him playing as a nose as well. His style of play can also work in a lot of different systems, as he can produce in both two gap and one-gap schemes. Brantley is a player who can be drafted by any team and weasel his way into an effective position on their defense.
Weaknesses
Aside from the obvious red flags off the field Caleb Brantley presents, his game in the gridiron still needs some work. What flies off the screen when you turn on the Brantley tape is his inability to finish plays. He is really good at getting to the quarterback, but he struggles to actually take them down. He seems to lack the strength to wrap up on a ball carrier and take him down.
His pre-snap actions are also very concerning. Brantley spends a lot of time trying to guess the snap count, and basing is moves off of that. When he guesses it right, it’s lights out for the offense. When he gets it wrong, he often goes offsides and gives up five free yards. Brantley was caught offsides 10 times during his last two years in Gainesville, and even if he stays onside, his guesswork on the snap count puts him behind the eight ball from the get go.
The Florida Gator star also has a limited set of moves. His strength helps him get past the line of scrimmage, but he needs to add more to it. The lack of moves makes him almost non-existent when he is shown a double team, and I have big questions about him against NFL standard guards and centers. He is going to need to put on some weight to keep his strength advantage, but also increase what he has in his repertoire to have a chance at the next level.
The Verdict
Brantley is a good, NFL standard player, but he probably won’t start in year one. He has the look of a rotation guy that could eventually become a fixture within a defense if he can clear up his off the field issues and properly develops his game.
Draft Prediction: Brantley is a second round talent, but his off the field issues will probably slide him all the way to day three. I think he will be selected somewhere in the 4th or 5th round.