Analysis Of Dane Brugler's Top 300 Rankings For The 2020 NFL Draft

Seven Notre Dame players made the final Top 300 for draft analyst Dane Brugler, who writes for The Athletic.

Brugler had Ohio State defensive end Chase Young as the top player, and there were no former Irish standouts in his Top 50.

Below is where the seven former Notre Dame players ranked and part of Brugler’s analysis of why he placed them where he did. That will be followed by my analysis of the ranking.

58. COLE KMET, TIGHT END

“Kmet is an easy player to like (both on and off the field) with outstanding ball skills and body control to dominate the catch point … Overall, Kmet is a dependable and physically impressive pass catcher who doesn’t have a deal-breaking weakness to his game, projecting as an NFL-ready “Y” target similar to Jason Witten when he was coming out of Tennessee.”

Analysis: There isn’t much to disagree with when reading Brugler’s analysis of Kmet. He nails most of Kmet’s strengths as a player, and he rightly pointed out his need to improve as a route runner and blocker. My disagree with Brugler is where Kmet ranks in this draft. The analysis doesn’t seem to fit with the ranking, and I strongly disagree with Kmet ranking behind Dayton tight end Adam Trautman.

64. CHASE CLAYPOOL, WIDE RECEIVER

“Claypool has an easy accelerator for his size and wins with physicality at the catch point, expanding his catch radius … Overall, Claypool’s route running and instincts are a work-in-progress, but he is an impressive height/weight/speed athlete who attacks the football like a power forward …”

Analysis: Claypool is a challenging player to rank because there is a real gap between what he is now and what he could be. The former Irish star dominated as a senior due to his tremendous physical tools, but Brugler is saying here what I’ve said for months, and that is there is a lot of technical work needed with his game. That, however, is why coaches make the money they make. If a wide receivers coach can’t mold Claypool - who is a hard worker - into a standout wide receiver that team should find themselves a new wide receivers coach.

I care more about the ceiling than the floor, and that is why I would have ranked Claypool in the Top 50, and I certainly would have ranked him ahead of Trautman (#56), Penn State wide receiver KJ Hamler (#53), Clemson wideout Tee Higgins (#52) and USC receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (#50).

103 TROY PRIDE JR, CORNERBACK

“Pride is a plus athlete and although he doesn’t show great feel for the position, he is quick to recover when out of position and fights at the catch point. He struggles with spacing in off coverage and is at his best in press-man where he doesn’t have to overthink, he can simply rely on his speed.”

Analysis: Reading the different breakdowns of Pride is quite interesting. Brugler talks about how Pride struggles in off man coverage but thrives in man coverage. One of the “top” draft analysts at The Draft Network praises Pride for his “excellent” zone coverage skills. I tend to agree a bit more with Brugler’s overall analysis of Pride regarding his man skills, but I do believe Pride is better as a zone defender than given credit for. I would have Pride as a Top 75 player in this draft class due to his experience, man coverage skills and elite speed.

104. KHALID KAREEM, DEFENSIVE END

“A smart run defender, Kareem is a strong-framed player who introduces power into his pass rush, using his massive, violent hands as weapons … Overall, Kareem needs to introduce better variety into his pass rush, but he is a physical edge setter with the power traits and well-rounded play style to be a dependable NFL starter …”

Analysis: Brugler nails his analysis of Kareem. I would have the former Irish end ranked a bit higher, but from a pure analysis standpoint this is spot on.

106. JULIAN OKWARA, DEFENSIVE END

“Okwara screams off the edge with the speed that makes quarterbacks uncomfortable, using that same athleticism to drop and make plays away from the line of scrimmage. He often appears aimless in his rush plan with erratic hands and too many “almost” plays on his tape … he is an exceptional athlete with a projectable body, projecting as a high risk, high reward pass rusher.”

Analysis: A year ago you would have found Okwara in the first round of Brugler’s initial mock draft. He was quite high on the pass rushing ability and athleticism, traits he will still praise Okwara for. Dropping Okwara this low is all about the poor senior season the Irish edge rusher had in 2019. There is no doubt that Okwara’s play took a huge step back, especially as a run defender. Brugler also noted the high number of misses that Okwara had as a pass rushers, something that readers of Irish Breakdown won’t be surprised to see.

I think Brugler has gone a bit too negative on Okwara. What he writes about his game is accurate, but he seems to have focused more on the negatives about Okwara’s game and has ignored the elite traits that had Brugler placing him in the first round a year ago.

203. ALOHI GILMAN, SAFETY

“A passionate leader and competitor, Gilman displays above average read/react skills with the play anticipation that gives him a head start. However, he doesn’t show the same instincts once he turns his back to the ball … Gilman lacks fluidity and feel to be a reliable man coverage player vs. NFL receivers …”

Analysis: I don’t believe Gilman lacks the instincts to thrive in coverage and I don’t think he lacks the fluidity. His testing numbers at the combine, for me at least, show that he certainly possesses the athleticism to be better in coverage than he’s shown on film. I think that is due more to how he was used in the Irish scheme and Gilman being too aggressive at times. Put him in a system where he’s asked to cover more and you’ll see his game adapt to that.

248. JALEN ELLIOTT, SAFETY

“Elliott is quicker than fast with the balance in his transition to redirect to cover tight ends or chase ball carriers in pursuit. However, he looks like a fish out of water in man coverage, lacking the anticipation or burst to be a playmaker. Overall, Elliott has high-level intangibles and flashes NFL skill, but the consistency (especially in coverage) isn’t there …”

Analysis: I do believe Elliott has shown a lack fo feel in coverage, which is why someone with the athleticism to be strong in coverage can occasionally get smoked. His technique isn’t sound and he guesses too much in coverage, which gets him in trouble. But Brugler nails the intangibles piece, which combined with his athleticism will make him a draftable player and someone with a chance to stick in the NFL for a long time.

To read Brugler’s full Top 300, and to get the full analysis of Notre Dame players click HERE.

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