Freshmen Faces: Braiden McGregor
Coming out of Port Huron (Mich.) Northern, Braiden McGregor was considered a four-star prospect, the No. 122 overall player nationally and the No. 5 strongside defensive end in the country according to the 247 Sports Composite. As a senior, McGregor played in the first seven games of the season before injuring his knee causing him to miss the rest of the year. He still managed to register 32 tackles, including 10 for loss and two sacks. He finished his career with a school record 227 tackles.
Recruitment
McGregor committed to Michigan on May 24, 2019, at a ceremony at his school after committing privately to the Michigan staff in Jim Harbaugh's office. McGregor was one of Michigan's top overall targets in the 2020 class so landing him against some of the best programs in the country was a big, big win on the recruiting trail. The talented defensive end racked up more than 30 offers over his high school career and could've went just about anywhere. He had opportunities from schools like Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Wisconsin among others.
Player Breakdown/Player Comparison
McGregor has an outstanding frame at 6-5, 248 pounds. He's already a big, strong kid, but he's extremely long and actually pretty thin through his lower body. He's got long, athletically built legs, which he showed off as a tight end/wide receiver in high school quite often. He's a big time athlete and talent with a ton of room to get stronger, faster and better.
On the field he's done it all — he's caused and created turnovers, sacked the quarterback, racked up tackles, caught touchdown passes and looked like a deer in the process. It's just impressive to watch McGregor move around a football field at his size, which is exactly why every top-flight program in the country wanted him.
McGregor has struggled at times against elite competition at some of the bigger camps, but he's got everything a defensive line coach wants when recruiting a player. Michigan fans are really excited about his future, and with good reason.
When I watch McGregor play, I see someone Michigan fans should be pretty familiar with — former Ohio State and current Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard.
Coming out of high school, Hubbard was quite thin at 6-6, 223 pounds, but he developed in a big way, became a third-round draft pick while at Ohio State and now weighs 270 pounds. He's long, lean and athletic, just like McGregor is, only McGregor is already around 250 pounds. McGregor should be able to get to 270 no problem if that's the vision the Michigan coaches have for him.
Hubbard was described as a relentless pass-rusher who wins with length, technique and discipline coming out of high school, which sounds a lot like McGregor. Coincidentally, Hubbard was a lacrosse standout in high school as was McGregor. The two of them are built similarly and could have a similar career path as well, albeit at very different schools.
2020 Outlook
Anyone who has seen McGregor in person sees him as a future pro. However, he has had his struggles and he's coming off a pretty significant knee injury. All signs are that he's ready to go, and there are backup snaps available behind Aidan Hutchinson and Kwity Paye, but I'm just not sure McGregor will be ready as a true freshman.
However, heading into the fall next year, I wouldn't be surprised if he was pushing for a starting spot. He's got everything you need — size, length, strength, raw athleticism, pretty good technique, a strong work ethic and a desire to be great. For him, it's just about getting coached up and putting it all together.
