Prospect: Bashaud Breeland, CB, Clemson
Height: 5’ 11.375”
Weight: 197
Grade: 6.1 (Grading Scale)
Scouting Report:
Strengths: The first thing that anyone notices when watching Breeland is his long frame, with exceptionally long arms at 31 5/8”. He has good size, standing just under 6 ft. A great athlete that likes to play physical and jam opposing receivers. Breeland has solid speed once he gets going, 10-15 yards down the field. Breeland loves to explode into the box to cause havoc. Breeland has fairly fluid hips, and good quickness makes changing directions easy for him. He can go up with any receiver and attack the ball at the highest point. He can also contribute on special teams.
Weaknesses: While he explodes into the box, Breeland does not have very good tackling technique. He tends to tackle high, instead of getting low. He also sometimes worries too much about the receiver, instead of focusing on the entire play at hand. He stays on one side of the field, even if the other team’s top receiver is on the other side. He does not have elite speed, and can be beat deep. Due to his lack of elite speed, if he does get beat, he gets too handsy, which can lead to penalties.
Overall: Bashaud Breeland is a very good athlete, with good size and length. He is one of the more physical corners in this year’s draft. Best suited for man coverage, as sometimes he looks lost or uncomfortable in zone and off coverage. He is fluid and can change directions very quickly. Can be beat deep and get too handsy. But, with the ball in the air, he has exceptional ball skills and can go up with any receiver to defend or intercept a pass.
As a freshman, Breeland had 47 tackles, 6 passes defended and 2 interceptions. His sophomore year was hampered by a hamstring injury, leading to only 33 tackles, 10 passes defended and no int’s. But, Breeland shined his junior year with 56 tackles, 10 passes defended and 4 int’s.
A pro comparison for Breeland would be Josh Norman, Carolina Panthers (5th round, 136 overall). While Breeland will not fall to the 5th round like Norman did, the two share similar measurables and strengths/weaknesses. Breeland ran a pedestrian 4.62 40 yard dash, exactly the same as Norman’s 40 yard dash. Both with tremendous arm length and athletic frames. Like Breeland, Norman was physical at the line, but struggled in zone and off man coverages. But each of their biggest strengths are their ball skills, and their ability to attack the ball at it’s highest point.
Breeland will go anywhere from mid 2nd round to early 3rd in May’s draft.—Dylan Gross
Scouting Notes
Clemson vs Florida State
14:23 1Q Breeland sheds a block and explodes in the box for a tackle for minimal gain.
Too many attempted arm tackles.
6:34 1Q Beat deep by Benjamin, but recovers well and breaks up an underthrown pass.
14:30 2Q Breeland with an easy interception.
7:17 2Q Breeland misses a tackle on Rashad Greene (arm tackle) that leads to a long touchdown.
5:09 2Q, Breeland beat by Greene, could’nt recover so he took Greene down. Pass interference called.
11:00 3Q Breeland ejected for targeting. Breeland showed explosiveness getting to the quarterback, but has to know better than to vault himself into Winston’s helmet.
Breeland got beat by Greene on several occasions. I would’ve like to see him on Benjamin more though.
Clemson vs Syracuse
10:10 1Q Breeland’s physicality shows up as he rips an opposing receiver to the ground.
11:28 2Q Great pass deflection as he stays on his receiver throughout the whole play.
11:23 2Q A sensational interception by Breeland. Recovers well and makes the acrobatic grab when the ball is at it’s highest point.
5:52 2Q As a gunner, Breeland gets flattened, but recovers and downs it inside the 5.
3:40 2Q In the box, involved in a tackle for loss.
9:36 3Q Breeland imposes his will on the receiver, no room at all for a reception.
8:08 3Q He is too worried about the receiver and the running back picks up a first down.
2:29 3Q Jump ball in the endzone that Breeland defends well.
2:21 3Q Breeland recognizes the trick play, sheds the block nicely, but misses badly on an arm tackle.
1:30 3Q Breeland shuts down the drive with a big stop on fourth down.
