by J.T. Toth
Photo courtesy of Oregon Athletics.
At Draft 412, the NFL draft talk never ends. We will keep you ready for the next set of gridiron stars—from today and all the way until draft night 2024. We will bring you mock drafts, player profiles, individual team needs, and everything else you may need related to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Today’s Spotlight - Oregon, Defensive Line, Brandon Dorlus
Name- Brandon Dorlus
Pos- Defensive Line
Team- Oregon
HT/WT- 6’3” 290 lbs.
Born- 3/22/2001
Home – Fort Lauderdale, FL
Dorlus was a consensus 3-star prospect by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports coming out of Deerfield Beach High School in Florida. He played his first two seasons at Calvary Christian High School and then transferred as a junior to Deerfield Beach. As a senior, he earned All-Broward County honors after leading Deerfield Beach to a District 8-A 11 championship. He committed to Oregon over several other FBS offers, including Auburn, Clemson and Florida.
As a freshman in 2019, Dorlus played in 9 games and had 2 tackles for a loss and a sack. During the Covid-19 shortened 2020 season, he played in all 7 games and made his first career start in the Pac-12 championship game against USC. He finished the season with 12 tackles and a sack.
His breakout season came in 2021 when he played in all 14 games, starting in 13 and had 25 tackles and 2.5 sacks on his way to being named first-team All Pac-12 by the league's coaches. Last season, he was named 2nd-team All Pac-12 after finishing the season with 39 tackles and 2.5 sacks in his 13 starts at defensive end.
So far in 2023, Dorlus has 3 tackles, 1 pass defended, and 1 fumble recovery in 2 games.
Dorlus has above average quickness for his position and has the body control to make himself a handful coming off the edge. He is able to play anywhere on the defensive line and has success in both the 3-point stance and standing up on the line. He has a solid build and projects as a 3-down lineman. He has enough athleticism to chase down backs from the opposite side and strong hands to grapple well in tight quarters. Dorlus has an excellent spin move to go along with a whole host of rushing techniques he uses to get free.
On the downside, Dorlus is that so-called “tweener,” not quite big enough to be an interior lineman, and a little heavier than you’d like to see at the edge. When his hand is in the dirt, he is still a work in progress and may not possess the required strength to be an effective interior lineman. He has quickness but not the elite speed you like to see in your edge rusher. He misses a lot of tackles and has problems with finishing plays.
The tape on Brandon Dorlus reminded Draft 412 of a defensive lineman out of Penn State in 2019, Kevin Givens. Givens was undrafted after teams had trouble figuring out where he should line up. Givens is in his 5th season and has been a versatile part of the San Francisco 49ers' defensive line, and Draft 412 believes Dorlus will develop into a useful but likely depth defensive lineman in the NFL.
Strengths
Versatility
Quick off snap
Athleticism
Body Control
Weaknesses
Tweener
Strength
Speed
Tackling
Final Analysis
Though Brandon Dorlus is a “tweener,” Draft 412 thinks that he has enough athleticism and upside to go along with his versatility for a team to find him useful on their defensive line.
Draft 412 Draft Projection- Round 4