Brandon Cleveland is a 6’4, 315-pound defensive tackle from the University of North Carolina State. From 2018 to 2020, he attended Seffner Christian High School. In 2019, he led their academy to the 2A State Semifinal. He finished the season with 76 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, and 1 blocked punt. The following year, he transferred to Carrollwood Day. He led their team to the second round of the playoffs and finished with 46 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 interception. Brandon was also a dual-sport athlete and enjoyed playing baseball at the time. But football was his true calling, and he began to receive more consideration for his potential at the next level. After his junior season with Carrollwood, he committed to the University of Miami. He then decommitted from the Canes during his senior year and signed with the Wolf Pack in 2022. He came into the program as a 4-star defensive end, but the coaching staff was intrigued by what Brandon could do in the interior. Throughout his career, he gained 35 pounds in order to play nose tackle and guard. He played all four years and started every game during his junior and senior seasons. This showed his willingness to be available and a team player.
Athletically, Brandon is a work in progress. While his weight gain and durability impressed me, his upper body and core need more defined muscle. It’s apparent that his body hasn’t fully adjusted to the transformation. At Carrollwood Day, their coaching staff used him as a stand-up pass rusher because he was much quicker at the time. In college, the weight gain appeared to have slowed him down and stiffened him up significantly. I evaluated three of his games in 2025 against strong offensive lines: Miami, Notre Dame, and Virginia. While he dominated Aston Craig, the undersized center for Notre Dame, he was nowhere to be found against the undersized center and guards for Virginia. It was frequently evident that he still has a long way to go in terms of getting off, speed, and strength.
Mentally, Brandon knew every rep provided a different set of challenges. He tried to do the little things that don’t always show up on the stat sheet. He demanded double teams and gave his teammates opportunities to make tackles. He had a good sense of when the quarterback was going to scramble or step up in the pocket. By looping around, he often kept the edge contained. If he knew he couldn’t get enough penetration, he would put his hand up to get in the way of the throw. NC State typically played with a 4-man front on its defensive line. They liked to shift pre-snap to create mismatches or false starts from the opposing team’s offensive line. They also liked to anticipate certain outside runs by slanting and forcing the running back towards the sideline. Unfortunately, this anticipation almost seemed pre-determined at times, and players like Brandon didn’t have the wherewithal to stop inside runs. If the opposing quarterback was decisive and had a running back of explosive prowess, they often had him in a bind.
Brandon’s hand usage and placement were erratic at times. His slower get-off prevented him from getting his hands on offensive linemen at times. Once an offensive lineman got their hands on him, they tended to have the advantage, and Brandon had to work really hard to try to get them off. While Brandon showed a few reps of quick hands, he often struggled with the alignment and physicality component. Whenever his hands got too high, he lost a lot of motion and couldn’t provide the necessary force to punch. This can be improved through coaching, studying film, and repetition.
Brandon’s leverage and pad level were inconsistent. His lack of athleticism showed as he doesn’t have a good low center of gravity. It’s hard for him to stay square or drive an opponent. If he was double-teamed by the opposing team’s center and guard, his go-to move was to try to split them. There were times when it worked. But if his getaway was slow, he’d get caught in a standstill. I would’ve loved to see him try to dislodge one lineman and try to take on the other. It’s easier said than done, but this would’ve made Brandon less predictable.
Brandon didn’t have a ton of pass rush moves in his arsenal. He couldn’t bend. He had some success using a swim technique and a bull rush. If neither of those moves worked, he often resorted to using his stiff upper body and arms in an attempt to throw his opponent to the ground. His pass rush productivity wasn’t efficient, as he didn’t have many pressures or sacks to his name. The most sacks he had in one season were 3 during his sophomore season. Brandon was more successful in stopping the run. Most of his production came from getting assisted tackles and tackles for loss. He also had a low missed tackle rate throughout his career. That said, he could still have been way more efficient at shedding blocks. Due to his inconsistencies in leverage and gap discipline, he still gave up big runs. Jeremiah Love, a strong running back from Notre Dame, showed that ball carriers can lower their pads and get yards after contact against him.
Brandon showed a decent amount of pursuit against Miami. He chased down screen passes and running backs at the second level. But he couldn’t sustain that level of intensity due to his low motor. In every game I watched, he quickly needed to sub out to get a breather. It’s common for many defensive linemen to get rotated or taken out of obvious passing situations. But for Brandon to be subbed out on first and second down for several-minute intervals is concerning. It’s even more concerning when he doesn’t give maximum effort every play, given his limited amount of reps. This is a result of him being out of shape, not outright laziness. He needs to improve his conditioning so he can stay on the field longer and make plays.
Brandon needs to go to an organization that isn’t top-heavy on their interior defensive line. He also needs to be in a scheme that has 4-5 man defensive fronts with lots of zone coverage in the back end to confuse the quarterback.
Team Fit:
Every team could use a big run-stopping defensive tackle, especially one like Brandon who can stay healthy. But I think the Bills, Cowboys, and Colts would be the best fits for him. He fits their styles of play and has a chance to learn behind a good defensive interior lineman.
Player Comparison: JJ Pegues, Las Vegas Raiders
Stylistically, JJ and Brandon are similar in age, position, and body type. JJ was selected in the 6th round of the 2025 NFL Draft, which is the highest round I could see Brandon going due to the demand for his position.
Projection: Role Player/Backup
While Brandon played nose guard and tackle at the collegiate level, he has more upside going against centers as a nose tackle. He currently doesn’t project as an NFL-ready starter or impact player. But with conditioning and coaching, he’s more than capable of being a rotation depth piece or contributing on special teams.
Grade and Round Projection:
I gave Brandon a 2.0 grade with a curve (1.9 initial), projecting him as a day 3 selection in the NFL Draft or an undrafted free agent.
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