Brandon Dorlus, Oregon Football News: Draft Scout Player News

05/30/21 - DT Brandon Dorlus, rSr/2024, Oregon

The interior of Oregon's defensive line is the position group seeing the biggest overhaul this offseason. Austin Faoliu and Jordon Scott are both gone, off to the NFL as undrafted free agents, and Brandon Dorlus is the most prominent contributor returning to a deep group of defensive tackles. Dorlus, whose 12 tackles were third among Ducks defensive tackles last season, offers a lot of flexibility. He can play anywhere from nose or shade all the way to a traditional end at 4i, 5 or 6 technique depending on the personnel grouping. Third-year redshirt-freshmen Kristian Williams and Keyon Ware-Hudson are both going to see significant increases in playing time and could be among the bigger contributors up front.

Dorlus had seven of his 12 tackles in Oregon's final three games, including both of his stops for loss and sack. He's quickly developed into one of UO's better interior linemen and a legitimate every-down player. His performance in the Pac-12 Championship game, mainly lined up against USC's Alijah Vera-Tucker, a first-round draft pick, was spectacular. For a former three-star recruit who the coaching staff more or less discovered thanks to recruiting Ge'mon Eaford out of the same high school, Dorlus is already outperforming his recruiting ranking. He was starting by the end of last season and should be the most widely-used defensive lineman on the roster next season. "Finally be part of the equation and to be counted on, it's a big responsibility but I think I'm ready for it," Dorlus said. "I can't wait for the season to start." In base, he'll play a 2i or 3 technique but Dorlus shouldn't leave the field on third-and-long and that wasn't said for Faoliu or Scott. - The Oregonian

rSr/2024