Bryan Bresee Meets With Media: What Dennis Allen Said, Clemson Coaches Weigh In
Bryan Bresee was in the Saints' cloud of players that they hoped to grab in the first round of the draft, and they ended up getting him without having to trade up. Like every year, there were plenty of surprises for how the board fell in Round 1, but New Orleans ended up having several players at their disposal when they picked 29th.
The pick makes sense. He had a 9.61 RAS, and is a strong and physical presence who the Saints can use all over the line to affect the passer. They needed to address the defensive tackle position, and the Saints did their due diligence to make the pick.
Dennis Allen Press Conference Takeaways
"I think our scouting department did a heck of job just evaluating these players," Allen said as he opened his press conference. He said that Bresee is an exceptional talent and will be an outstanding addition to the team. Allen revealed when the Bengals were on the clock that there were two players the Saints liked. Obviously, Bresee was one of them.
WHAT ALLEN LIKES: Allen said that Bresee is really good on the move and brings some pass-rush ability inside. He said the Saints spent an evening at dinner with several of the Clemson players, visited with Bresee the next morning and had a workout. He mentioned that he's well-rounded, and that the Tigers used him a lot on the move.
"Says a lot about the kid to overcome the adversity over the past 18 months," Allen said. He later pointed out that he's showed a lot of fortitude. Naturally, some injury history has been a concern for his outlook, but Allen said he went through the full physical workup.
Allen said it was somewhat difficult to get to know everything about a prospect in such a short amount of time, and New Orleans spent about 3-4 hours total with Bresee. They met at the Combine, had the dinner at Clemson, and worked him out. He says that he has the qualities they wanted to bring into the building.
The run game last year was not up to standards, Allen revealed, and he says that Bresee is a step in the right direction. The Jeff Ireland formula that Mickey Loomis alluded to on Wednesday worked.
Bryan Bresee Speaks
ON WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE TABLE: "An athletic, disruptive defensive tackle who's going to work hard every day."
Bresee says he's gone through a lot of things that have matured him fast. Says Ella, his late sister, would be glowing right now and was/is his motivation. He mentioned that the way she battled brain cancer with a smile on her face and positive attitude reminds him that whatever he may go through is not that serious.
He'll play wherever the coaching staff sees fit and said that his experience of being able to play up and down the line at Clemson will help him at the next level. He said that their defensive switched their fronts frequently.
He said the Saints were very personable and easy to talk to in their visits and that he really enjoyed his time with them. Some personal notes on him include that he's played football since the age of 5, and he played at either quarterback or defensive tackle.
ON HEALTH ISSUES: "Last year, was just some kind of crazy things that went on, unexpected." Bresee had knee and shoulder surgeries previously, which were the first of his career. He said, "I feel great from them now, have no issues."
Clemson Coaches Weigh In
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney and defensive run coordinator/defensive tackles coach Nick Eason weighed in on the pick.
“Bryan is a guy that could be a Pro Bowler for years to come. He has that in him. And I’m just excited for the Saints because his best football is in front of him. He’s really gotten himself healthy, but this kid has been through so much. He had a great freshman year, missed his second year, got hurt, tore his ACL, and then he comes back and obviously his sister passing, he missed a lot of time and then he had a kidney issue. When this guy is on the field, everybody in the stadium notices. I mean, that’s just who he is, and he’s been that way at every level of football of his life from pee wee to middle school to high school to college. It won’t be any different in the pros; when he’s on the field, everybody will notice him. And the good news for him is, again, he is a high-value, first-round type talent that was available just based on where he is in his development.
“This guy is the ultimate gym rat. He absolutely loves football. He’s passionate about practice, he’s strong and he’s just a guy that I think his teammates are going to love. He’s got a great spirit to him every single day. I think if he can stay healthy, he’s got a great future in front of him as a pro football player.”
