Get to know Saints first-round pick Bryan Bresee

The New Orleans Saints drafted Bryan Bresee with the 29th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Here is the tea on the new rookie for Saints fans.

The New Orleans Saints needed to retool and reload their trenches, on both sides, but the feeling was it was more of a dire need on the defensive side of the ball. Mickey Loomis and the rest of the Saints front office seemed to have felt the same, as they made defensive tackle Bryan Bresee out of Clemson their first-round selection.

Here is what Saints fans need to know about their new rookie defensive tackle.

Bresee showed signs of huge promise as a freshman at Clemson in 2020. Starting in ten of the 12 games he appeared in, Bresee recorded 23 tackles (6.5 of which were for a loss), to go along with four sacks and two pass-breakups. He was named the ACC's Defensive Rookie of the Year as well as an All-ACC first team member.

He would be named third team All-ACC in 2021, even despite tearing his ACL. That has also been a part of Bresee's story unfortunately. Injuries derailed what was on track to be a great college career, but the talent has always been there, hence him still being worthy of a first-round pick.

Coming off of his ACL injury, Bresee was named second team All-ACC in 2022 thanks to his 15 tackles (5.5 for loss), 3.5 sacks and two pass-breakups in the seven starts (10 games) he appeared in.

At six-feet-five and a half-inches and just shy of 300 pounds, Bresee is a burly defensive tackle, but has the athleticism to get off of blocks quickly. He is also a smart player, and should be a nice fit into this defensive front that needs bodies.

If Bryan Bresee can maintain his health and reach his potential while gaining the experience he needs, then the New Orleans Saints may have struck gold, and the fact that they were able to sit pretty at 29 is an added bonus. So far, a good start to the 2023 NFL Draft.