Braelen Oliver:
Positives:
Negatives:
Braelen to me seems like a classic Fleck guy. Has the HOW that you want to see. He’s incredibly talented and his tape definitely shows that of a Division I player. His size is the reason many teams passed upon him, but I’ve always been of the belief that I trust my eyes and not just measurables. He’ll most likely redshirt since we’re rather deep at linebacker which I find good, but he is a hybrid safety/linebacker that will be a player for the Gophers down the road
Positives:
- Very good athlete. Played running back and returned kicks for Douglas. That is not common for people who play linebacker
- Instinctive. Reads and reacts quickly
- Takes great tackling angles. Appropriately attacks the right hip and rarely overruns/misses tackles
- Fast, especially for a linebacker. He is more of a “chase you down sideline-to-sideline” a la Blake Cashman than someone who takes on blocks
- Pursues from the backside at full speed. Not a lazy linebacker
Negatives:
- Size. Clearly teams shied away from Braelen due to him being undersized. He will project as an outside linebacker and will need to gain muscle
- Will have to take on blocks at the next level. His tape shows him unblocked/able to run around blocks in high school. That won’t happen in Division I
Braelen to me seems like a classic Fleck guy. Has the HOW that you want to see. He’s incredibly talented and his tape definitely shows that of a Division I player. His size is the reason many teams passed upon him, but I’ve always been of the belief that I trust my eyes and not just measurables. He’ll most likely redshirt since we’re rather deep at linebacker which I find good, but he is a hybrid safety/linebacker that will be a player for the Gophers down the road
