Chris Braswell makes case for why NFL teams should draft him

Players getting selected out of Alabama has become extremely common in the NFL Draft, with 10 Crimson Tide players picked in last year’s draft alone and three coming in the first round. This year, Alabama EDGE Chris Braswell will join that group following four seasons with the Crimson Tide.

Braswell declared for the 2024 NFL Draft on January 4 following his breakout senior season at Alabama, and will now look to have that same impact for one of the NFL’s 32 teams on Sundays ahead of the 2024 season.

EDGE has become one of the premier positions across the college and professional levels of football, as more teams are looking for a feared pass rusher to draw the attention of the offense and slow down the team’s opposing quarterback. Like many other years in recent history, there’s a ton of talent at the position amongst this year’s prospects including Braswell. Who was asked at the Reese’s Senior Bowl what makes him different from the rest.

“Like you said, there are a lot of great pass rushers in the draft and at the Senior Bowl,” Braswell said. “They’re all great. I feel like what I bring to the game is quickness, first quick step, power, and the ability to get to the quarterback.”

Braswell had more production last season at Alabama than his previous three seasons with the Crimson Tide combined, notching 43 tackles, 8.0 sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and an interception. Earning Second-Team All-SEC honors after ranking third in the conference in sacks and tying for first in forced fumbles to end the regular season.

NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has him ranked as the No. 46 overall prospect in this year’s draft, adding that Braswell still has even more room to grow as a player. And with that in mind, he was also asked at the Senior Bowl what his future coaches at the next level can do in order to get the most out of the athletic pass rusher from Baltimore.

“Just coach me hard, I’ve been coached hard my whole entire life. So just good coaching, and coaching me hard, and holding me accountable can bring the best out of me,” Braswell said.

Braswell benefitted from playing opposite Dallas Turner, who Jeremiah has ranked as the No. 10 overall player and the top EDGE of the 2024 class. Similar to how Turner benefitted from playing alongside the league’s most recent Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. two seasons ago. NFL-bound pass rushers seem to continue growing on trees in Tuscaloosa.