Bradyn
Swinson.
Bradyn
Swinson.
LSU· 6'4"· 255 lb
"One SEC season of real production turned a four-year Oregon rotational body into a fifth-round edge bet on hands, leverage and a defensive-line room that knows how to finish players."Pre-draft read
A long, heavy-handed edge setter who converts speed to power better than he wins with pure bend. Swinson attacks the outside shoulder, gets the tackle turning and then works back inside with a long-arm and a violent cross-chop. The hand usage is his separator — he arrives with a plan and resets it mid-rush instead of stalling.
Against the run he plays with real leverage for 6'4", squeezing down blocks and keeping his outside arm free. The gap is explosiveness off the snap: he is a build-up rusher whose production came from persistence and technique rather than a first step that wins before contact. Against NFL tackles that means the third rush of a drive is better than the first.
Bradyn Swinson's physical profile and play style are best suited for a 3-4 defense that emphasizes edge rushers setting the edge against the run and disrupting passing lanes.
Year 1 rotational pass rusher who can develop into a starting 3-4 outside linebacker with improved technique.
A one-gap 4-3 penetrating front that asks him to consistently split double teams as an interior lineman.
Swinson's length and quickness off the edge make him a viable option for teams looking for developmental pass-rushing talent.
Bradyn Swinson College Highlights, LSU EDGE | New England Patriots 2025 NFL Draft Pick
Game film cut-up of Bradyn Swinson's LSU tape.
Bradyn Swinson College Football Highlights | LSU EDGE
Game film cut-up of Bradyn Swinson's LSU tape.
2025 NFL DRAFT HIGHLIGHTS: Bradyn Swinson | EDGE
Game film cut-up of Bradyn Swinson's LSU tape.
Three developmental seasons at Oregon behind a crowded room, then a transfer to LSU that turned into the breakout. The 2024 line — 57 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks in 13 games — represented more than half his career production in a single year.
That is the whole evaluation in one sentence: a five-year college player with one year of high-level edge production. The counterargument is that the year came in the SEC, against real tackles, in a full-time role he had never previously been given. The tape backs the counterargument: the wins came against Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas A&M tackles, not against overmatched non-conference bodies, and the rush plan visibly deepened as the season went on.
At 6'4", 255 pounds with quality length, he profiles as a rotational 4-3 defensive end who can grow into a starter if the power rush holds up. He was never going to be the bendy speed rusher that goes in round two; he was the technician with SEC evidence that a defensive-line-development team would take in round five and be happy about.
- 01
Hand Usage
Swinson demonstrates advanced, violent hand usage with a counter plan mid-rush.
- 02
Speed to Power
He converts speed to power effectively, collapsing the pocket edge.
- 03
Run Defense
Swinson sets a firm edge against the run with a free outside arm.
- 04
SEC Production
He had breakout SEC production with 13 TFL and 8.5 sacks in 2024.
- 05
Character & Development
Swinson has five years of college development and a high football-character reputation.
- 01
First-Step Explosiveness
He has average first-step explosiveness, winning late in the rep.
- 02
Limited Bend
Swinson shows limited bend around the corner and struggles to flatten to the quarterback.
- 03
Production Profile
His production profile is one-year, following three quiet seasons at Oregon.
- 04
Age
Swinson is an older prospect entering the league with less projection runway.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- —s
- Vertical
- —in
- Broad jump
- —in
- Three-cone
- 7.13sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.33sp50
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Oregon | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | Oregon | 11 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022 | Oregon | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | LSU | 12 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2024 | LSU | 13 | 57 | 8.5 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Career | — | 54 | 125 | 13.5 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Swinson projects as a rotational defensive end who can contribute as a run defender and occasional sub-package power rusher, similar to Perkins' role early in his career.
Swinson shares Granderson's power at the point of attack and ability to set a strong edge, with room to develop his pass-rush moves and become an every-down starter.
Swinson's floor is a depth edge rusher who primarily contributes on special teams and provides occasional snaps as a run-stuffing defender with limited pass-rush upside.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
New England invested heavily in the defensive front through this draft, and Swinson was the developmental piece at the end of it. The bet is legible: a rusher whose best trait is technique, dropped into a program that coaches technique.
What he offers immediately is a rotational body who does not get displaced against the run and who can win a third-and-long rep with a long-arm. What he needs is the pass-rush plan to keep working when the tackle is a professional and the pocket is only 2.6 seconds deep. Fifth-round edges either become sub-package contributors by year two or they do not stick, and Swinson landed in the right place to find out.