According to Pro Football Focus, Chris Jones is the only Kansas City Chiefs defender averaging four quarterback pressures per game this season. General Manager Brett Veach needs to pursue a new pass-rushing option in the 2025 NFL draft to take some pressure off Jones and win more plays off the edge.
LSU Tigers defensive lineman Bradyn Swinson is an electrifying pass rusher who operates best in two-point stances on the edge. His burst off the line makes him a significant threat as a speed rusher, and his long arms help him convert speed to power or deploy counters to attack the B-gap.
Swinson’s accurate hand placement grants him easy access to the offensive tackle’s chest. He doesn’t have a thick frame but generates a surprising amount of knockback with his heavy hands and powerful arm extensions. That knockback opens the B-gap or drives the offensive tackle into the pocket.
Swinson wins through the B-gap with swipe and swim counters and through the offensive tackle’s frame with speed to power. He also wins on the outside track with his explosiveness and bend. Swinson lacks elite bend but is flexible enough to get low and flatten his rush angle.
Against South Carolina earlier this year, LSU gave Swinson some snaps walked down in the A-gap like a blitzing linebacker. The Gamecocks didn’t have athletic enough interior players to handle his attacks. Creative defensive coordinators use this type of defensive alignment manipulation in the NFL, and Swinson has all the traits to fill the role.
Swinson uses his long arms to stack and shed blocks in the run game and possesses the burst to make plays as a backside run defender. However, his primary value comes from his pass rush. He’s applying pressure on 17% of his pass rush reps this season and enters Week 8 half a sack behind South Carolina’s Kyle Kennard for the SEC lead.
After a three-game homestand, the Tigers will travel to face Arkansas on October 19 at 6:00 p.m. CST. The Razorbacks were idle this past Saturday and are two weeks removed from upsetting the Tennessee Volunteers.
