| Brandon Thompson Scouting Report |
| Brandon Thompson - Clemson (HT: 6-2 - WT: 314) |
Positives -- Excellent size and bulk, thick build with the strength to play the nose, but quick enough to play as a 3-technique, has the combination of strength and initial quickness to overwhelm interior offensive linemen... Good first step, explodes out of his stance, extends his arms to engage the blocker
and deliver a jolt and establish hand position, plays with good leverage, gets a good push at the line of scrimmage, can slip gaps, spends a lot of time in the backfield... Quick, active hands and good length, can be difficult to engage, shows stack and shed ability... Very solid anchor, powerful base, good upper body strength, 35 bench reps of 225 lbs. at the combine, nicknamed "Yams" because of his big thighs that help him plug the middle of the Tiger defense... Space eater, can occupy blockers and free up others around him to make plays, tough to move, lack of dominant tackles and TFL numbers are nothing to worry about as Thompson often disrupted plays forcing ball carriers to Da'Quan Bowers, Jarvis Jenkins or Andre Branch, among others; knows his assignments and sticks with them, maintains gap responsibilities... Good balance to play the piano and slide down the line... Good motor, plays with a lot of energy, hustles to make plays in pursuit... Good fit in a one gap system... Has very good upside, exceeded all expectations this season, merits first round consideration, can take over games... A three-year starter on a very talented Clemson defensive line... Might also get some looks as a 3-4 DE (5-technique).
Negatives -- Is limited and still developing as a pass rusher, has just 4.5 career sacks, primarily a bull rusher who can push the pocket, but lacks much of an arsenal of pass rush moves... Bit of a straight line athlete who lacks suddenness and lacks change of direction moves off his initial rush... Plays a little upright at times, doesn't always coil up and will expose himself to down blocks... Loses stamina as the game moves on, tires too easily... Best fits, but not limited to, a 4-3 scheme.
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| Combine Results |
| Height |
› |
6020 |
| Weight |
› |
314 |
| Arm |
› |
33½ |
| Hand |
› |
10 |
| 40-Time |
› |
|
| Vertical |
› |
31 |
| Broad |
› |
8'4" |
| Bench Press |
› |
35 |
| Shuttle |
› |
4.71 |
| Cone |
› |
7.97 |
|
At Clemson -- (Official School Bio) Has 131 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, 29 quarterback pressures, nine pass breakups, and three recovered fumbles in 1,347 snaps over 39 games (25 starts) in his career... nicknamed "Yams" because of his big thighs that help him plug the middle of the Tiger defense... does a great job as a run stopper in the middle of the line... preseason second-team All-ACC by Athlon... #1 senior defensive tackle prospect for the 2012 NFL draft by CBSSports.com... #17 draft-eligible defensive tackle in the nation by Phil Steele... tied for first on the team in bench press (450)... tied for second on the team in 225-pound bench press reps (36), squat lift (615), and power clean (370)... third on the team in total weight lifted (1,690). 2010: Had 56 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, a sack, 15 quarterback pressures, and three pass breakups in 532 snaps over 13 games (11 starts)... combined with Jarvis Jenkins to give the Tigers one of the best defensive tackle tandems in the nation... had a strong second half of the season; he had 43 of his 56 tackles in the last seven games... had nine quarterback pressures in the last five games... had six tackles against Georgia Tech... had 11 tackles at Boston College... had six tackles against #23 N.C. State... had five tackles and a sack at Florida State... had eight tackles, including seven first hits, and 2.5 tackles for loss in 42 snaps against #17 South Carolina to earn team defensive player-of-the-game honors by the coaches and the IFC Defensive Player-of-the-Game Award... won the Strength Training Award for defensive tackles for spring practice. 2009: Starter on the defensive line in 13 games... a big reason the Tigers finished in the top 25 nationally in total defense and scoring defense... had 50 tackles, up from 25 his freshman year.
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