Brady
Breeze.
Brady
Breeze.
Oregon· 5'11"· 197 lb· 4.55s 40
"A 5'11", 197-pound Oregon safety and 2020 Rose Bowl Defensive MVP with a walk-on origin and 7.68 RAS pro day - a Day 3 special-teams-first strong safety projection where the tape and traits were fine but the athletic ceiling and range were average."Pre-draft read
This strong safety primarily operates closer to the line of scrimmage, aligning as a robber, dime linebacker, or buzz safety in split-field schemes. He exhibits quick run reads, presses the alley with good pad level, and delivers heavy contact. His best plays come triggering on run/pass keys inside 12 yards, demonstrating strong instincts and timing.
In coverage, he is most effective as an underneath match defender against tight ends and backs, using his frame and short-area quickness. He is less comfortable against vertical seam threats, where hip fluidity and average long speed limit effectiveness. Ball skills are adequate for attacking the catch point, but he rarely creates splash takeaways through pure range; instead, he excels in special teams coverage as a gunner and wedge-buster.
Cover-3 match, split-field zone, and nickel sub-packages that leverage dime safeties and box safeties with strong run fits and special-teams acumen.
Immediate special teams ace with a ceiling as a quality backup strong safety, dimebacker, or matchup-specific tight end/slot stopper.
True single-high free safety roles in schemes that regularly ask safeties to cover half the field and carry vertical seams with range.
Brady Breeze projects as a special-teams-first strong safety whose run-trigger ability and short-area quickness make him a valuable depth piece in scheme-specific sub-packages.
Brady Breeze Official Oregon Highlights
Career highlights showcasing his downhill trigger and box-safety finishing.
2020 Rose Bowl: Herbert, Breeze key Oregon's Rose Bowl win
Defensive MVP performance vs Wisconsin - blocked punt TD and fumble-return TD.
Brady Breeze, S, Oregon | 2021 NFL Draft Prospect Zoom Interview
Pre-draft interview covering his Oregon career, pro day, and NFL projection.
This strong safety projects as a special teams-first player with potential utility in nickel and dime packages, primarily operating closer to the line of scrimmage. His pre-draft profile is built on consistent tackling and a demonstrated ability to perform in critical moments, offering a low-risk depth option for teams seeking reliable performers on Day 3.
He concluded his college career with approximately 30 starts, including a Rose Bowl Defensive MVP performance. Throughout his tenure, he was heavily utilized in special teams across all four units. While his production was steady, a shortened 2020 season limited his final game footage. He was generally viewed as a prospect whose value lay in his special teams contributions and an ability to play in the box rather than cover deep.
Evaluator consensus placed him in the 6th-7th round range, with concerns regarding his vertical speed and hip fluidity for true deep safeties. His selection in the sixth round affirmed his market value as a special teams asset with strong tackling traits and a history of impactful plays in high-stakes games.
- 01
Special Teams Impact
Four-phase special teams value provides immediate impact as a gunner on punt and a willing wedge-buster on kickoff, consistently contributing across all units.
- 02
Run Support & Tackling
Run trigger and pad level allow him to read keys quickly, press the alley effectively, and deliver forceful contact at the point of attack.
- 03
Clutch Playmaker
Rose Bowl Defensive MVP with a blocked punt touchdown and a significant fumble return score, showcasing clutch playmaking in high-pressure games.
- 04
Sound Tackling Technique
Tackling technique is sound, consistently wrapping low and driving his feet, resulting in a low missed-tackle rate in the box and alley.
- 05
Short-Area Agility
Short-area agility, demonstrated by his 4.22 short shuttle, enables effective mirror-and-match coverage against tight ends and backs in underneath schemes.
- 01
Vertical Speed Limit
Long speed is adequate but does not project well for covering vertical seams or half the field consistently from a true single-high safety alignment.
- 02
Hip Fluidity Concerns
Hip fluidity shows a hitch when asked to open and run vertically from depth, impacting his ability to carry deep routes and reach top speed.
- 03
Limited Arm Length
Average arm length limits his contested-ball production against larger receivers and tight ends, shrinking his effective catch-point radius.
- 04
Incomplete Senior Tape
A shortened 2020 season meant evaluators relied more heavily on earlier tape, leaving a less complete picture of his senior year development.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.55sp50
- Vertical
- 38inp50
- Broad jump
- 120inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.05sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.22sp50
- Bench
- 20repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Oregon | 13 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | Oregon | 13 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Oregon | 14 | 62 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Career | — | 40 | 90 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
A downhill hybrid safety who made a career bouncing between rosters based on special teams and situational box play.
A long, aggressive dime/box safety who established his NFL career through special teams contributions before earning significant defensive snaps.
A special teams-focused depth safety who spent several seasons contributing primarily in the third phase of the game.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. Breeze arrived at Oregon as a lightly recruited local kid out of Portland's Central Catholic and stuck around for five years, redshirting, grinding through special teams, and eventually starting at strong safety on the Ducks' 2019 Pac-12 championship team. His signature moment came in the Rose Bowl against Wisconsin on January 1, 2020, when he blocked a punt for a touchdown and returned a fumble 31 yards for another score to be named Defensive MVP. A 2020 season shortened by injury and COVID cut his final tape short, but a full pro day (4.55 forty, 38-inch vertical, 120-inch broad, 7.05 three-cone, 20 bench reps at 5'11" and 197 pounds) confirmed a solid but unspectacular 7.68 RAS profile. Boards had him firmly on the Day 3 special-teams-plus-depth tier.
NFL fit - Tennessee Titans. Tennessee took Breeze with the 215th pick to give the team a plug-and-play four-phase special-teams piece with real strong-safety length. The Titans' 2021 depth chart behind Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker had no obvious backup with his ST value, and Breeze's tackling temperament fit a defense that lived in split-safety and pressure looks. The projection was blunt: gunner and vice on punt units, wedge on kickoff, low-leverage box safety in blowouts, with the hope that a year in the system unlocked a bigger dime role.
Retrospective. That baseline mostly held. Breeze made the initial Titans roster as a special teamer, but injuries and roster churn moved him quickly - he cycled through Tennessee's practice squad, spent time with Denver and Cleveland's practice squads, and never carved out a defensive role beyond emergency snaps. By 2024 he was out of the league. The pick was on-tier: a Round-7 special-teams flyer who gave his drafting team a season of ST reps before roster math moved on, exactly the outcome the tape and testing pointed toward.