The 2018 NFL Draft Prospect series breaks down draft-eligible players, highlighting their college production as well as their NFL potential. Daily fantasy players should know about NFL rookies before they’ve played a down of professional football because they are among the most misvalued assets in all of DFS. People who know NFL rookies have a significant DFS edge. The draft will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, from April 26-28.
This piece is on Florida defensive tackle Taven Bryan, who has declared early for the draft. For the total list of all players leaving school early, see our underclassmen tracker.
Redshirt Junior | 6’4″ and 291 Pounds | Projection: Rounds 1-2
Combine numbers: 40-yard: 4.98 sec | bench reps: 30 | 3-cone: 7.12 sec | 20-yard shuttle: 4.48 sec | vertical: 35 in | broad: 119 in
It took Bryan three years on campus before he earned a starting spot, but it didn’t take long for Southeastern Conference offensive guards to take notice of the Gators’ big-bodied stalwart in the trenches. What separates the 2017 second-team All-SEC selection from his peers is a ridiculous first step that was confirmed at the combine when Bryan posted the second-fastest 10-yard split in the 40-yard dash among linemen weighing 290-plus pounds. It’s not terribly surprising that Bryan was initially forced into a reserve role considering that the Gators have had three defensive tackles drafted in the past two drafts, but he’s special enough to have a chance at becoming the school’s first Day 1 tackle since Dominique Easley in 2014.
After redshirting as a freshman, Bryan recorded 25 tackles with 4.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks in 20 games in 2015-16. He produced 37 tackles, six tackles for a loss, and four sacks last season, but he was even more disruptive on a play-by-play basis than his stats indicate. Overall, Bryan was Pro Football Focus’ 10th-ranked tackle in pass-rush productivity, and he regularly drew double teams to free up teammates in the run game.
Florida’s offense has hit been inconsistent in recent years, but the defense has largely remained a force to be reckoned with. Much of that credit is due to a strong front seven that has continuously churned out difference-makers such as Bryan. Few players have the strength and play-making ability to draw a double team on nearly every play, but Bryan proved that hardly any of the conference’s best guards and centers could handle him without help.
Bryan has the size and athleticism to line up anywhere inside on a 4-3 front and all across a 3-4 line. He doesn’t have the bend or pass-rushing repertoire to attack the quarterback from the edge, but his first step and size is probably best unleashed on slower guards anyway. This athleticism is rare to find in linemen of his size, and Bryan more than holds his own from a strength standpoint.
Bryan might be a few years away from emerging as an every-down game-wrecker, but offensive lines will need to respect his first step and motor from the moment he steps on the field. The question is whether the NFL will view him as a potential three-down force or two-down run defender at the next level. Bryan might be the former, given how his best collegiate season stacks up among first-round defensive tackles since 2015:
- Vernon Butler: 50 tackles, 10 TFL, 3 sacks
- Arik Armstead: 46 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks
- Malcom Brown: 72 tackles, 15 TFL, 6.5 sacks
- Sheldon Rankins: 58 tackles, 13 TFL, 6 sacks
- Kenneth Clark: 73 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks
- Robert Nkemdiche: 26 tackles, 7 TFL, 3 sacks
- Bryan: 37 tackles, 6 TFL, 4 sacks
It might be unreasonable to expect to hear Bryan’s name in the top half of Round 1, but any team in the bottom half wouldn’t be out of line in drafting one of the SEC’s latest disruptive defensive tackles. Bryan has the upside of a perennial problem-causer for opposing offensive lines across the league, and he has enough talent to help make a good defensive line great sooner rather than later.
Photo Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
