Brandon Dorlus, DL Oregon: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Dorlus was a three-star recruit from Deerfield Beach High School in Deerfield Beach, Fla. in the class of 2019

Oregon defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus is a physical tweener with positional versatility. He is in the conversation to be a top 100 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but his lack of a clearly defined position could lead to him falling to Day 3.

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Brandon Dorlus, DL Oregon: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Fifth-year senior defensive lineman from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Background: Dorlus was a three-star recruit from Deerfield Beach High School in Deerfield Beach, Fla. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 835 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 896 for On3.com. Dorlus was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 79 grade out of 100. He originally committed to Virginia Tech before flipping to Oregon. Dorlus spent his first two high school seasons at Calvary Christian High School, lettering as a sophomore, before lettering for two years at Deerfield Beach. As a senior, he amassed 74 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and a pick-six. Dorlus earned First Team All-Broward County honors from the Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald as he led Deerfield Beach to a 12-2 record and the District 8-A 11 Championship.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed 2022 spring practices with a shoulder injury

Awards: 2021 First Team All-Pac-12, 2022 Second Team All-Pac-12, 2023 First Team All-Pac-12

Pros: Special teams experience on the punt return, punt coverage, field goal block, and field goal units, more than 2,200 career defensive snaps, arm length and wingspan check boxes, fires off the line with good pad level, long strides and some suddenness to exchange gaps quickly, two-handed swipe, long-arm move, swim move, push-pull move, spin move, rip move, nice initial knockback in hands, power popped against Washington (2023), gets shoulder pads low and drives legs on bull rush, two-armed bull rush and power gave Troy Fautanu some issues (2023), consistently accessed Troy Fautanu’s chest (2023), bullied Geirean Hatchett in Game 1 vs. Washington (2023), pins the lineman’s hands, frequently gets hands in passing lanes for PBUs, flows down the line to the football, slips blocks into the backfield

Cons: Lean lower half for a player taking interior snaps, positional versatility seems unlikely to translate, straight line speed and burst don’t pop, lacked the power to play through Georgia’s linemen (2022), limited career sack production, limited dip and bend when rushing off the edge, hands and arms need to do a better job keeping his frame clean, limited counters to revive bull rush, lacks the mass to handle T-G double teams, not a good matchup for double teams, struggles to anchor in gaps against the run, displaced laterally on down blocks, limited counters to avoid being sealed vs. the run, inconsistent block shedding at the point of attack, overpowered and undersized against Darnell Washington (2022), inconsistent pad level, caught off guard by gap runs, late to recognize running back coming through his gap, lost contain on play action bootlegs vs. Georgia (2022), doesn’t come to balance as a tackler consistently

Overview: Dorlus aligned almost everywhere along the defensive front during his time with the Ducks. He split his more than 2,200 career defensive snaps playing 5-tech, in two and three-point stances, 4-tech, 4i, 3-tech, 2-tech, and even some wide-9 and 1-tech. On special teams, Dorlus saw action on the punt return, punt coverage, field goal block, and field goal units. While his 33 3/8-inch arms and 81-inch wingspan aren’t outstanding, they check the necessary boxes for NFL teams. Dorlus appeared on Bruce Feldman’s 2023 Freaks List for The Athletic. According to Feldman, the fifth-year senior squats 685 lbs., sumo deadlifts 685 lbs., power cleans 345 lbs., and can reach speeds up to 20.75 miles per hour on the GPS. That straight line speed and burst don’t show up on tape consistently, but the power definitely translates. Dorlus fires off the line with good pad level into contact as a pass rusher. He uses his long strides and surprising suddenness to exchange gaps quickly. His pass rush plan includes two-handed swipes, long-arms, swims, push-pulls, spins, and rips. The Florida native has limited dip and bend that prevent him from being a high-end rusher off the edge. He still needs to refine his arm and hand usage to keep his frame clean more often instead of allowing the lineman into his space. Dorlus must develop more counters to revive his bull rush, which is one of his best weapons. Speaking of his bull rush, Dorlus excels at getting his shoulder pads low and driving his legs for a two-handed bull rush. This move is amplified by the decent knockback Dorlus flashes in his hands. The All-Pac-12 selection’s power really popped against Washington in both matchups in 2023. Dorlus gave Washington left tackle Troy Fautanu issues in both games as he frequently accessed the tackle’s chest. Dorlus also works some savvy into his rush plan. He’s good at snatching the lineman’s hands and pinning them, turning the rush into a contest based on core and lower body power. Dorlus frequently gets his hands in passing lanes when he fails to reach the quarterback. As a run defender, the former three-star recruit plays a penetrating style that often relies on slipping blocks or hitting linemen with a swim move to get into the backfield. Dorlus doesn’t have the lower body mass to anchor against double teams or even some single-block assignments. He was overpowered by Georgia’s offensive linemen and tight end Darnell Washington in 2022. Dorlus’ lean lower half and lack of game-changing power against the run suggest his positional versatility as an interior player won’t translate on an every-down basis in the NFL. Dorlus struggles to anchor in gaps against the run. He is displaced laterally on down blocks and doesn’t have enough counters to avoid being sealed. His block shedding at the point of attack is inconsistent. Dorlus plays with an inconsistent pad level against the run. He was late to recognize gap runs several times in 2023, which allowed running backs to pick up chunks of extra yards.

Overall, Dorlus flashed impressive power in college to complement his set of polished pass rush moves, but his troubles anchoring against the run and tweener physical profile bring into question his role in the NFL and value as an every-down defender. Dorlus projects as a rotational player during his rookie season for a team with a long-term vision for developing his build and tools.

Role & Scheme Fit: Base 4-3 defensive end who occasionally reduces inside

Round Projection: Late Third to Mid Fourth

Size: 6031, 272 lbs. (Senior Bowl)

Submitted: 02-12-24