Scouting Garrett Bradbury
A converted tight end, North Carolina State’s Garrett Bradbury boasts an outstanding athletic profile for an offensive lineman. He received a RAS score, via Kent Lee Platte, of 9.95 after his performance at the 2019 NFL Combine, setting himself apart from the pack with measurements such as a 4.92 40-yard dash, a 2.85 20-yard split, a 1.74 10-yard split, a 31-inch vertical, and a 7.41 three-cone time.
Overall, five of Bradbury’s combine testing measurements tested above the ninetieth percentile, putting him in good company with some of the more athletic linemen to enter the NFL. Per Kent Lee Platte, Bradbury’s testing compares favorably to Frank Ragnow, who’s currently a starting interior lineman for the Detroit Lions, after being selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Like Ragnow, Bradbury played at center in his college days, but he has the physical profile to switch to guard without much of a learning curve. Bradbury offers versatility for most NFL teams, but for the Redskins specifically, he’d offer a solid starting left guard with upside.
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Bradbury has great get-off at the line. His ankles generate solid explosion and momentum at the snap, and he has the agility and body control to rotate his blocking angle on the move, sealing off defensive linemen from evading ball carriers. His feet are quick and nimble, and he has good balance as a lateral mover.
Bradbury combines his athletic traits with a high blocking I.Q. to culminate as a real threat for any defensive lineman. His hand punches are quick and methodical, and he knows the ins and outs of leverage, as well as when he’s attained optimal leverage on run blocking snaps; he uses that leverage to finish his opponent into the ground.
Bradbury always finishes through every play, especially on run blocking snaps, seeking out contact until the final whistle. His mentality is exactly what you want in an offensive lineman; he’s always looking for his next assignment. He knows how to use the maximum extension of his length to keep defenders separated in pass protection, and he uses his physical tools to maintain an advantage.
Of course, there are some slight areas for improvement in Bradbury’s game. While he logged 34 bench reps at the NFL Combine, he shows room for improvement, in terms of converting his strength to power on the football field. It’s not a consistent issue, as Bradbury often wins with athleticism, anchor, and intelligence alone. But Bradbury can occasionally be out-muscled by stronger defensive linemen.
Bradbury appears to be aware of his inconsistencies with power on tape. He isn’t timid in the slightest, but he can occasionally drift backwards on passing snaps, as if bracing for the impact. As a result, he doesn’t always get his hands low enough to solidify his anchor. On the snaps he was beat, this is generally what happened. But keep in mind, it wasn’t often, in the limited sample size observed.
It appears as if driving linemen back isn’t Bradbury’s game; Bradbury caters to a style that doesn’t necessarily create space, but instead maintains it, but he shows flashes of raw power, and he showed at the combine that he has the requisite strength to compete his game. If he can convert his strength to power more often on the field in the NFL, and continue his development from his position switch in 2015, then he can be one of the most complete, consistently effective interior linemen in the NFL.
Disclaimer: Finding tape was more challenging for this article. If you want more information from draft experts, the Draft Network has lots of useful information in Garrett Bradbury’s 2019 Player Profile.