NFL Draft Profile: Markaviest “Big Kat” Bryant, Defensive End, UCF Knights
#1
Pos: DE
Ht: 0604
Wt: 251
Hand: 1038
Arm: 3358
Wing: 8138
DOB: N/a
Eligible: 2022
Cordele, GA
Crisp County
Big Kat Bryant
UCF Knights
One Liner
As a former four-star recruit and five collegiate seasons, Bryant still has plenty of work and refinement needed in his game to be an impactful player at the next level.
Pros
Bryant finally showed some semblance of his potential as a graduate transfer and fifth-year senior at UCF earning first-team All-AAC honors. He has a very thick and well-developed build for an edge rusher. Bryant has shown in flashes to have a vast amount of pass rush moves at his disposal, you just may need to look hard to see them all. He has lined up both in a three-point stance as well as a stand-up rusher, showing possible scheme versatility. His long wingspan opens up a very large tackle radius which he uses every inch to help wrap up ball carriers. Bryant has good snap anticipation allowing him to apply pressure on opposing linemen in an instant. He has a high motor matched with good physicality.
Cons
Bryant never lived up to his recruiting hype at Auburn, and it took him his fifth collegiate year to truly be an impactful player. He is a stiff, upright player which almost instantly puts him at a disadvantage during his pass rush reps. Though Bryant has shown good strength, his hand technique is poor at the line of scrimmage. You would hope after five years in college that he would be a bit more refined, but his technique has never seemed to improve. His run defense is inconsistent at best. Even with his large tackle radius, he has trouble taking down ball carriers, usually going for arm tackles due to frequently being out of position. Bryant has poor game processing as well, often misreading plays, miss gap assignments, and often setting a poor edge.
Summary
Big Kat Bryant had a ton of hype entering college after being a standout high school athlete. Unfortunately, that is all he ended up being…a good athlete. Over five years of college football Bryant failed to show improvement in technique, hand usage, run defense, and urgency. He has the athletic tools and physical makeup that successful edge defenders carry, though his mental processing of the game never improved. Bryant did have a successful graduate year at UCF, though I think this was more due to facing lesser talent than a change of scenery. With his physical tools, it would not be a bad idea for an NFL team to take a flyer on late in the draft or as an undrafted free agent. He may have shown a change of scenery is what he truly needed, though even watching his UCF tape, his deficiencies were still noticeable. Bryant, even after five years of college is still a developmental player.
Background
Bryant was a four-star recruit and the 18th best player out of Georgia in 2016. As a high school senior, he was selected to the Under Armour All-American Game and was awarded the Georgia Class 3A Defensive Player of the Year award while also being an all-state selection. As a true freshman, Bryant landed on the SEC all-freshman team, though was only a rotational player. As a sophomore, it was much of the same for Bryant, as he was unable to grasp control of a starting role on the team, though still made an impact in a rotational role, coming up with four tackles for a loss and three and a half sacks. He also added an interception which he returned for a touchdown during the Music City Bowl against Purdue. As a junior, Bryant regressed in virtually every statistical category. He still wasn't able to lock down a full time role and was stuck in a rotation. Bryant finally secured a starting role full time, starting nine or ten games as a senior. Even still, his impact was virtually non-existent. The Auburn Tigers fired then coach Gus Malzahn who then joined UCF, taking over the same position. As a graduate transfer, Bryant decided to follow the coach who recruited him and joined UCF. Bryant secured and held down a starting defensive end role and was able to produce in the AAC. He led the Knights in both tackles for a loss (14) and sacks (6), while finishing s3cond in the AAC in both categories. In doing so he earned himself first-team All-AAC honors, putting together easily his best collegiate season.
Draft Grade:
6th Round
Quote
"Perhaps getting fresh coaching and new eyes on his skill set can lead to growth, but he’s a developmental player with a low floor."
Joe Marino - The Draft Network
