Cowboys Round 5 (179) Selection - Bradlee Anae, OLB, Utah

[boozeman]

Brugler's analysis...

9. BRADLEE ANAE | Utah 6033 | 257 lbs. | SR. Laie, Hawaii (Kahuku) 1/17/1998 (age 22.27) #6

BACKGROUND: Bradlee Anae (uh-ny) was a three-sport letterman at Kahuku, competing in basketball, football and track. He was a three-year starting linebacker and defensive end, helping Kahuku reach the state semifinals in 2014. As a senior, Anae earned first-team all-state honors with 42 tackles and 11.0 sacks. He led the program to a 13-0 record and the 2015 Division I state championship, defeating Saint Louis, 39-14, which was quarterbacked by junior Tua Tagovailoa. A three-star defensive end recruit out of high school, Anae was the No. 66 defensive end in the 2016 class and the No. 14 player in the state. He received offers from Hawaii, Vanderbilt and BYU, which had been a pipeline program for the Anae family. But Anae considered himself the “rebel child” and wanted to do something different, committing to Utah once he received the offer. His father (Brad) was a defensive lineman at BYU (1979-81) and was a two-time All-American before signing with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 1982. His grandfather (Famika) played at BYU. His uncle (Robert) played center at BYU (1981-84) and has been a longtime college football coach, currently serving as the offensive coordinator at Virginia. His sister (Adora) was an All-American volleyball player at Utah. His sister (Pati) played volleyball at Portland State. Anae accepted his invitation to the 2020 Senior Bowl.

STRENGTHS: Quick take-off to win with his first step…gets on top of blockers quickly, flashing early speed-to-power moves…strong cornering skills, not allowing blockers to push his momentum away from the pocket…works in a club, chop and various power moves mid-rush…aggressive hands with a long-arm technique to get blockers off balance…disciplined run defender, staying home and handling himself well in space…self-described “adrenaline junkie” who competes with a full tank…he rarely came off the field and was an every-down player for the Utes…his leadership and work ethic are “tremendous,” according to Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham…big-time production, setting several school records, including career sacks.

WEAKNESSES: Short-armed rusher…spotty snap anticipation, collecting six offside penalties in 2019…predictable, one-speed rusher and lacks steady variance when attacking the corner…tends to tip his rush moves early, lacking suddenness in his set up…exposes his frame and needs to tighten his timing…finds himself off balance when attempting to shed…gives up too much ground in the run game and needs to plant roots to anchor on the edges…falls apart vs. double-teams…inexperienced dropping into space and covering backs or tight ends. SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Utah, Anae played left defensive end in defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley’s 4-2-5 base scheme, standing up and rushing with his hand on the ground. He became the school’s all-time leading sack artist (30.0) and set the program records for career sack yardage (210) and tackles for loss yardage (244), winning the 2019 Morris Trophy as the Pac-12’s top defensive lineman (voted on by the conference’s offensive linemen). Anae is quick out of the gate and accelerates around the edge with relaxed hips and physical hands to run the hoop. Against the run, he has strong ball awareness, but can be too easily overwhelmed by size on the edges. Overall, Anae relies too much on his first step and appears near maxed out, but he is a hungry, high-effort pass rusher with the edge quickness that will earn him immediate playing time as an NFL rookie.

 

[Foobio]

Awesome to see an island guy, they always turn out to be tough players.

 

[boozeman]

Awesome to see an island guy, they always turn out to be tough players.

Polynesian players have never been on our radar for whatever reason.

I guess Garrett was just racist.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

I can't wait to see him in preseason. I think he could open aome eyes and be useful in a rotation as a rookie.

 

[boozeman]

I think he is my favorite draftee.

 

[P_T]

I think he is my favorite draftee.

He also cliff dives... they may need to put some language in his contract curtailing some of those activities.

 

[P_T]

 

[data]

The new Leegro... BRADLEEGRO

 

[Cotton]

 

[Cotton]

Bradlee Anae NFL Draft 2020: Scouting Report for Dallas Cowboys' Pick
MATT MILLER
APRIL 25, 2020

EDGE7 Bradlee Anae, Utah

STRENGTHS

—Big-time power player who is NFL-ready with excellent technique and the strength to stack up every down against pro-level tackles.

—Plays mean with a violent nature and a temper that offensive linemen don't like to deal with.

—Motor is revved up and never stops running; high-effort player.

—Smart, instinctive player who makes fast reads and is rarely fooled by misdirection.

—Has played very well against current NFL players and pro-caliber tackles in the Pac-12.

—Stabs with a long arm and uses agility to bend the corner.

—First step is good enough to stun offensive tackles.


WEAKNESSES

—Good player who never produced many sacks or TFLs off his own moves; a lot of plays set up for him to succeed by scheme and teammates.

—Lacks top-end burst and agility; doesn't profile as a very good athlete.

—Will get put on skates in the run game due to lack of length/base power.

—Tackles have taken him for a ride around the arc when he can't get his hips unlocked to turn the corner on the edge.

—Would love to see him develop more head-up power moves (bull rush, inside counter, etc.) to show up better against athletic offensive tackles.



OVERALL

Anae is a tough player with a red-hot motor who is very fun to root for. His lack of top-tier athleticism is concerning as the NFL moves toward more spread-out offenses and a lot more athletes on that side of the ball, but we believe he has tools to be an early-career starter and a good player. While he may never develop into a consistent double-digit sack-artist, Anae will be a good NFL defensive end.

GRADE: 79

 

[p1_]

Im curious what RDE will look like; still waiting on what I suppose is forgone conclusion that Gregory and Smith clear re-instatement. I cant imagine they wouldn't be re-instated.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

I really like him as a DE. It seems like a lot of his weakness are concerns if he played LB. At DE the only real concern is that he is undersized. But I imagine that's a concern for most NFL REs who aren't 280 pounds. Watching him play is just exciting. The guy plays with pure passion and violance. I can't wait to see that on our defense. I think any team is better with a personality like his on the defensive side of the ball.

He is the pick I'm most excited to see I think. We got a lot of great players so that's hard to say.

 

[NoDak]

Im curious what RDE will look like; still waiting on what I suppose is forgone conclusion that Gregory and Smith clear re-instatement. I cant imagine they wouldn't be re-instated.

You never know. They should be reinstated, but Goodell can be a real twat.

But, say they are reinstated, that would give this group at DE to work with.

DeMarcus Lawrence
Bradlee Anae
Randy Gregory
Aldon Smith
Dorance Armstrong
Tyrone Crawford
Joe Jackson
Jaylon Jelks

UDFAs
Ron'Dell Carter
Ladarious Hamilton
Garrett Marino
Azure Kamara

That's not a bad group.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Im curious what RDE will look like; still waiting on what I suppose is forgone conclusion that Gregory and Smith clear re-instatement. I cant imagine they wouldn't be re-instated.

I don't trust Smith to stay out of trouble. That man really has some demons in him. Gregory is way less of a question mark for me. He just smokes pot.

 

[Cotton]

This dude plays violently. Just look at the very first tackle in this video.

 

[Cotton]

What Utah DE Bradlee Anae brings to the Dallas Cowboys

By Christopher Kamrani Apr 25, 2020

SALT LAKE CITY — The dude pets sharks, front-flips off cliffs into the Pacific Ocean and, when he gets his paws on you, slams you into the turf violently, like a professional wrestler sends an opponent to the mat. But he also speaks so quietly that, sometimes, you have to lean in a little closer just hear a little more clearly. He’s admittedly shy about a lot of things, and if he had the choice of doing anything other than lining up on the edge and anticipating a snap count, he’d like to be back on Oahu, timing the waves crashing on the beach on his family’s property near his home.

Bradlee Anae is a proud “Laie Boy.” It’s tattooed on his left biceps. It’s his hometown, about an hour’s drive from Honolulu, and where he first learned the thrill of getting home to the quarterback. He was a Kahuku High Red Raider, one of the most famed high school football programs in the country, known for churning out Division I athletes. In the years since, Anae developed into one the best pure pass-rushing defensive ends in college football.

The Dallas Cowboys saw it, and picked him 179th overall.

Anae was named a consensus 2019 All-American. He won the Morris Trophy, awarded to the best Pac-12 defensive lineman, and in his last game as a Ute cemented himself as Utah’s all-time sacks leader. He’s the newly-elected mayor of “Sack Lake City.” Anae will be remembered as one of the best defensive players in program history, which is saying something, considering Utah’s program is built upon the backbone of being the better, more aggressive defensive side.

Anae’s speed off the edge is his most reliable attribute. He is stout against the run and has shown the ability to make plays behind the line of scrimmage, especially against zone-reads. At the Senior Bowl in January, Anae was one of the brightest defensive players, which undoubtedly boosted his draft stock. Dallas gets a fast, athletic edge rusher who doesn’t quit on plays. So many of Anae’s sacks over the years have come from him staying engaged, even if his initial pass rush move was negated.

Anae is too reliant on his speed at times. Against better left tackles in 2019, Anae struggled to make the same sort of impact on games the way he did against inferior opposition. Some scouts said his arm length is short, which doesn’t allow him to get proper separation enough against more athletic offensive tackles. Anae might be a rotational player his rookie year, brought in to help wear down opposing tackles, or he might be asked to contend for starting minutes. If that’s the case, he’ll need to diversify his rushing skills and figure out more ways to create various techniques to add to his repertoire.

In a breakdown of Anae’s film, defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley gave his scouting report on what his former defensive end can do in order to impact a game.

https://twitter.com/SafetyPride/status/1248741904021241858
As a personality, Anae was voted a team captain in 2019. He may be quiet, but don’t mistake his tone or shyness on certain topics for being totally coy about everything. Anae was always extremely confident speaking in front of throngs of media, not only about himself, but also about his team’s ability. The way he spoke, he made it feel like Utah was already established as not only a member of the Pac-12 elite, but as a member of one of college football’s best programs.


He absolutely helped the Utes in his four years at Utah. He finished with 30 career sacks. His durability is an underrated plus of his game, too. He started every game of the last three years. That’s 47 straight starts. As Scalley noted, Anae will be an impact player at the next level. His natural skill set is too dynamic to not have him at least part of a rotation in Year 1. It’s up to him, though, to see how far he can develop.

 

[Cotton]

 

[Cotton]

 

[ravidubey]

DeMarcus Lawrence
Bradlee Anae
Randy Gregory
Aldon Smith
Dorance Armstrong
Joe Jackson
Jaylon Jelks

Throw in Gerald McCoy, Antwaun Woods, Dontari Poe, Tyrone Crawford, Neville Galimore, Trysten Hill, and Justin Hamilton

Who's odd men out? Someone will likely end up on IR or PUP and some they will try to PS.

The top four players below are pretty much locks for the 2020 roster, assuming there's a season.

• Lawrence
• McCoy
• Poe
• Gallimore

Suppose we keep 10.

• 1 of Gregory/Smith assuming the other remains suspended or otherwise washes out
• Crawford, just because they really lack experience
• Hill, to avoid embarrassment.
• Armstrong, IMO has shown the most

That leaves Jackson, Hamilton, Jelks, and Anae for the last two or PS. Or maybe they just keep 8.

It's not a great or very proven group. At least not yet.

 

[Cotton]