Draft Darlings: Brandon Dorlus could help the Chiefs in multiple ways

Some have called Dorlus the “scariest D-lineman in college football.”

The Kansas City Chiefs’ strategy at defensive tackle this offseason involved bringing back the same room they had last year. After getting a long-term extension done with Chris Jones, the Chiefs re-signed Tershawn Wharton, Mike Pennel and Derrick Nnadi to one-year deals.

The Chiefs also have Neil Farrell, Isaiah Buggs and Matt Dickerson—who all have experience playing at an NFL level—on the current roster.

While the Chiefs have a lot of bodies in the defensive tackle room, it’s still one of the worst defensive tackle rooms in the NFL. This has been the case for several years, but it doesn’t matter much in the grand scheme. That said, the Chiefs could use an upgrade to their defensive tackle room, especially as Jones gets into his 30s.

Jones has played an absurd 80% and 73% of snaps in the last two years, even with a few missed games in that interval. He’s been an iron man for Kansas City, but asking him to do that throughout his next contract is a daunting task. The Chiefs must find more ways to keep Jones fresh, so adding more talent to the room would be helpful.

One option I’d like for the Chiefs to look at is Oregon’s Brandon Dorlus. Here’s what you need to know about Dorlus;

Background

Dorlus wasn’t a prestigious recruit. Coming out of Deerfield Beach, Florida, Dorlus was a three-star recruit without a lot of major offers. Dorlus had offers from Oregon, Baylor, Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky but first committed to Virginia Tech. Before signing day, Dorlus ended up de-committing from Virginia Tech to enroll at Oregon, where he would play for five seasons.

Dorlus didn’t play much in his first two years, only seeing 81 snaps his freshman year and 259 in a COVID-shortened season in 2020. Dorlus started to break out in his junior year, where he put up 42 pressures and three sacks with a respectable 10.6% pressure rate. In his senior year, Dorlus put up 46 pressures and two sacks on an improved 11.6% pressure rate, earning second-team All-Pac 12 honors. He decided to exercise his last year of eligibility for COVID. In his last year at Oregon, Dorlus’s stats remained similar at 46 pressures and four sacks on a 12.0% pressure rate. This season, he earned Dorlus a first-team All-Pac 12 spot.

Dorlus competed in every drill except the bench press at the NFL Combine. He came in at 6’3 and 283 lbs with 33 1/8” arms and an 80 7/8” wingspan (70th percentile). Dorlus performed very well in most of the athletic testing. He ran a 4.85 40-yard dash (93rd) percentile with a 1.68 10-yard split (83rd). He jumped 30 1/2” in the vertical jump (65th) and 111” in the broad jump (82nd). His 3-cone drill time of 7.43 seconds puts him in the 75th percentile for defensive tackles, but his short shuttle time of 4.85 did put him in the 11th percentile historically.

Film review

Dorlus falls into the “tweener” prototype, where he can toggle between defensive end and defensive tackle with his body type. On run downs, Oregon would have Dorlus align at defensive end. His use of length, size, and power allowed him to play 4i and take on double teams. Dorlus lacks the juice or bend to play defensive end full-time in the NFL, but Dorlus profiles well as a 3-4 defensive end vs. the run for a team that plays Odd fronts.

As a pass rusher, Dorlus almost always rushed from the interior. Dorlus’s main way of winning is through his length and power. Dorlus has a quick first step and combines that with quick hands and exceptional length and strength to crush the pocket. He likes to get a full extension with his bullrush, driving smaller guards backward so they cannot get into his frame. When guards start to lean to deal with his power, he has the hand quickness, length, and agility to rip through guards and collapse the pocket with a quick win.

Dorlus does have counters for his power. He’s not the most agile defensive tackle, but he does have the speed and quickness to win on either shoulder. Dorlus likes to change up more with quick rip-throughs and taking shorter angles, but when asked to win with an inside move or around a guard, he can win in those areas. He has enough effective change-ups to complement his elite power game.

How he fits with the Chiefs

Dorlus wouldn’t be able to play with Jones on run downs, mainly because neither can work at nose tackle. But for his first few years in the league, that’s fine. Dorlus could take some of the load off of Jones vs. the run, or the Chiefs could even experiment playing him at strongside defensive end some and get huge vs. the run. The Chiefs have dabbled in more Odd fronts through the years, so Dorlus would allow them to do even more of that.

You can play Dorlus and Jones next to each other as pass rushers. Jones can win in any way from any spot, but I like Dorlus’s ability to crush the pocket and win with length. Guys like Mike Danna and George Karlaftis can rush from the interior, but not with the same strength that Dorlus can. With Charles Omenihu likely hampered for part of the year post-ACL surgery, having another positive pass rusher next to Jones on the interior would work well.

The bottom line

Dorlus has grown on me over this process. When I first watched Dorlus, I was a bit lower than consensus, but I’ve come around to him more.

Now, I don’t think Dorlus has a crazy high ceiling. He was in college for five years and never produced elite pressure or sack numbers. But I think he’s going to be a capable starter. He can play multiple positions and has enough pass-rush juice to justify being on the field on third downs.

I would love to have Dorlus as a backup for Jones. You wouldn’t have to change styles too much, and it can give Jones more breathers. As Jones transitions into his 30s, it’d be nice to have a guy with a similar skill set and talent to take snaps at 3-technique.

Grade: Round 3