Bradyn Swinson, LSU: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Swinson was a three-star recruit from Chapel Hill High School in Douglasville, Ga. in the class of 2020

LSU star Bradyn Swinson is one of my favorite prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. He wins as a pass rusher in so many diverse ways but also possesses the athletic traits to make an impact in run defense. Swinson received an early third round grade, which should translate to a second round selection on draft night.

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Bradyn Swinson, Edge LSU: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior defensive end from Douglasville, Ga.

Background: Swinson was a three-star recruit from Chapel Hill High School in Douglasville, Ga. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 502 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 488 for On3.com. Swinson was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 78 grade out of 100. He transferred from Oregon to LSU for the 2023 season. Swinson lettered four times in high school. As a senior, he amassed 79 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and ten sacks to earn Region 5-AAAA Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Douglas County Player of the Year honors. Swinson was a First Team All-Region 5-AAAA selection after a junior season when he tallied 78 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, eight sacks, and two forced fumbles. He also received an All-State honorable mention nod from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. As a sophomore, Swinson totaled 51 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and six sacks, earning a 5-AAAA All-Region honorable mention.

Injuries & Off-Field: Suffered and played through a tore my lateral meniscus vs. Ohio State in 2021 that later cost him three missed games, suspended for first quarter vs. Florida (2024)

Awards: N/A

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, punt return, and field goal block units, arm length, explosive athlete, excellent speed off the edge, pushes vertically before redirecting into B-gap, flies through the B-gap, blows open the B-gap with power, speed to power, inside-out hesitation move to soften the tackle’s outside shoulder, chop, rip, speed rush, two-armed bull rush, two-handed swipe, swim, quality bend, shoulder dips to drop pad level significantly at top of the arc to play under the tackle’s hands, targets and snatches the offensive tackle’s hands, pop and knockback in hands, power in his hands to drive linemen back into the pocket, motor runs hot in pursuit of QB, fluid enough mover to handle the occasional zone drop, open field speed, pursuit range and effort, speed to shoot the C-gap, menace if left unblocked in the run game, threat as a backside run defender, arm length helps him separate from blocks, quick to disengage and redirect from blocks, change of direction skills to mirror RBs on off-tackle runs, enough agility to challenge QB designed runs, speed helped contain Jalen Milroe’s outside runs (2024)

Cons: Needs to continue expanding pass rush arsenal, counters need refinement, bend is good but not great, inconsistent timing on bend to turn the corner, driven up and around the arc, inconsistent ability to win with power, some tackles re-anchor against his speed to power, size limits ability to anchor at POA, needs to set a stronger edge, offers nothing against G—T double teams, doesn’t displace or disrupt pulling guards, collapsing inside opens off-tackle run lanes, guesses wrong on RPOs, over pursues on long chase downs

Overview: Swinson primarily lines up as a 5-tech and wide-9 in a two-point stance for LSU. His arm length surpasses the league’s thresholds and plays a large role in his success. Swinson is an explosive athlete with the speed to beat offensive tackles around the outside. He uses this to his advantage by stemming his pass rush upfield before quickly breaking into the B-gap. Swinson frequently attacks the B-gap either with his blazing speed or raw power. He deploys an inside-out hesitation to drag the offensive tackle back inside and soften his outside shoulder. Swinson’s pass rush plan includes chops, rips, speed rushes, swims, and two-handed swipes. He lacks elite bend but gets low enough to play under the offensive tackle’s hands and posts consistent wins around the outside. The Georgia native’s hand usage is impressive. He snatches the offensive tackle’s hands to take control of reps with his superior power. Swinson’s hands pack the pop and knockback to blow open the B-gap. He often drives offensive linemen into the pocket by converting speed to power with a two-armed bull rush. The Oregon transfer wins with finesse, speed, and power, but he still needs to add more advanced pass rush combinations and counters to his arsenal. Some offensive linemen negate his play strength and re-anchor against his speed to power. Advanced counters will help Swinson reignite those rush attempts. The former three-star recruit relentlessly pursues the quarterback, and that high effort translates to run defense. His size limits his ability to hold the point of attack. Double teams move Swinson off the ball, and his desire to collapse inside on the quarterback opens off-tackle run lanes. However, his speed gives him impressive range in pursuit. Swinson’s change of direction helps him mirror running backs or mobile quarterbacks when isolated with them in space. He even has the acceleration and agility to contain elite athletes like Jalen Milroe. Swinson sometimes struggles to decelerate from his top speed on long runs, which leads to him over-pursuing the ball. The redshirt senior shoots the C-gap in run defense and fires off the line to make plays as a backside run defender. His arm length helps him quickly separate from blocks and redirect to the football. Swinson possesses enough athleticism and fluidity to make a few plays as a shallow zone dropper or flat defender in coverage.

Overall, Swinson is an excellent pass rusher with a strong combination of speed, power, and developed rush moves. There’s room for him to improve in run defense, but his speed and change of direction make him a unique weapon against mobile quarterbacks. Swinson should play a significant role as a rookie.

Role & Scheme Fit: Outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme

Round Grade: Early Third Round

Size: 6'4", 250 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 11-28-24