Chris Braswell Has Caught Graham Barton’s Eye
So yesterday, for reasons he detailed in the practice notes, was the first rookie minicamp practice Joe witnessed this spring.
A guy who to Joe’s naked eye looked like a man among boys was second-round draft pick Chris Braswell. Joe didn’t see him make any splash plays. A big reason for this is that defenders cannot hit.
But one thing that jumped out at Joe was how easily Braswell shed a block. The outside linebacker from Alabama was lined up just to the outside shoulder of a tackle.
At the snap, Braswell stiff-armed the guy fully out of the play, shed the block and chased the ball. Joe thought for a brief moment he heard Braswell yell at the tackle, “Child, please!” (Joe’s joking here with that last sentence.)
Of course, Braswell could have been making all sorts of minor plays that went over Joe’s head. That seemed to be the case to hear first-round pick Graham Barton talk about Braswell.
Barton seems to be an even-keeled kind of guy. But when he was asked who on the opposite side of the ball has stuck out, Barton began to get excited talking about the rookie outside linebacker.
“Braswell,” Barton said. “I’ve seen him make a lot of plays. He’s been really impressive. Great athlete. Excited to watch him. Glad he’s on our team.”
Outside of maybe a pick-six or a pass rush, it will be hard for Braswell to jump out only because its underwear football. There isn’t any hitting.
When the pads come on this summer, Joe will be eager to see how Braswell does.
