Clemson star Bryan Bresee discusses future, upcoming NFL draft decision

CLEMSON — Bryan Bresee is well aware that he has a big decision coming soon in regards to the NFL draft, but he insists that he isn’t thinking about that right now.

Bresee’s only focus at the moment is on facing off against Tennessee in the Orange Bowl on Friday, he told reporters in Miami.

“I haven’t even thought about it yet, to be honest with you. I’ve just told everybody – coaches, teammates, that I’m going to worry about it when we’re done with this game,” Bresee said Wednesday. “I’ve just been focused on playing Tennessee, and I’ll worry about it after the game.”

Most mock drafts have Bresee projected to be a first-round pick in April’s NFL draft.

ESPN’s Todd McShay has Bresee going No. 10 overall to the Cardinals in his latest mock draft.

However, it’s possible that Bresee doesn’t turn pro after this season. This year has been a tough one for Bresee on and off the field.

His sister Ella Bresee died from cancer earlier this year, and Bryan Bresee had a health scare of his own that forced him to miss time.

Bresee finally feels like he is in shape again now, and he could opt to return to school in hopes of having a fully healthy year to show what he is capable of.

“This is the best I’ve felt all year conditioning wise,” Bresee said. “Definitely knowing some people that are coming back, just playing with them again could be special. But at the end of the day, I think it’s important to know what’s best for me and just sit down with my family and talk about it once the season’s over and make a decision then. … At the end of the day, you’ve gotta talk to your family and coaches and teammates even. It’s a whole group effort to decide what the best decision is.”

If Bresee does return to school, he could spend time at defensive end and defensive tackle next season.

The former No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2020 weighs around 300 pounds but is athletic enough that he can play all over the d-line.

If he chooses to come back and show off his versatility next year, he could potentially help his draft stock.

“I played d-end all of high school, so that’s something that I’m comfortable with – playing out on the edge,” Bresee said. “But it’s a game plan thing. Whenever our coaches think it’s a good thing for me to play out there then I’ll go out there and do it. But yea, I think it shows that I’m able to play anywhere on the d-line.”