Written By Adam Aniba
Heading into the off-season it was imperative that Washington selected a franchise quarterback, but also a blindside protector for their investment. They got their signal caller with Jayden Daniels, but questions remain if the tackle they drafted fits the bill
Many fans are on the fence with the Commanders 3rd round selection Brandon Coleman and hoped that Washington would address their need at left tackle earlier in the draft.
Coleman might not have been a household name prior to the draft, but he put together some promising film for the '22 and '23 season while at TCU.
Brandon Coleman
6'4" 313 lbs | OT/G | TCU
3rd Round 67th Overall
Background
Coleman was born in Virginia, but spent the majority of his childhood in Berlin, Germany before moving back to the United States in 2016. Coleman grew up in Denton, TX and played football for Denton High School.
Despite being a standout offensive lineman for Denton's football team, he was unranked and unrated as a senior.
Coleman made the decision to attend Trinity Valley Community College for the 2019 season, in hopes of gaining the attention of a D1 program. After his first season, Coleman was given a 3-star recruit designation by ESPN and ranked as the No. 7 JUCO offensive line prospect in the nation.
His play garnered attention from Iowa State, Florida State, Missouri and TCU just to name a few. Ultimately Coleman elected to commit to TCU fo the 2020 season. following season
The Trinity Valley offensive lineman would redshirt in 2020, but played in only 4 games, due to dealing with a few minor injuries.
In 2021 Coleman would start in 8 of 9 games (7 games at left guard/right guard) and was active in 11 total games.
In 2022 Coleman started a career high 15 games all at left tackle. In fact, the TCU lineman started 23 of 24 games dating back to '21.
Coleman ranked 3rd on the team with 1,036 snaps played (8 behind team leader Steve Avila drafted by Rams '23). Coleman was an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 for his efforts.
Last season Coleman was named a Team Captain and made 11 starts at left tackle and 4 at left guard. On the season he allowed just 1 sack through 723 snaps.
In '23 Coleman was named to the 2nd-Team Academic All-Big 12 squad and was an Honorable-Mention Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year.
PROS
Hands are like a vice-grip and difficult to disengage
Displays the ability to effectively anchor the blindside
Overall length/wingspan stands out on tape and ideal for a tackle
Provides positional value with extensive experience lining up at a tackle and guard
Good feet & timing, most notably when asked to pull and block on the second level
CONS
Needs refinement with hand usage/counters
Needs to be more focused and show more of a mean-streak when down blocking in the run game
Tendency to let pass rushers get under his pads
Too often caught off balance when facing a bull-rush
More refined as a pass protector and struggles to open up running lanes at times in the run game
2024 Outlook
Although Coleman provides positional versatility, he offers more value at tackle for Washington with his '22 film (started every game at LT) being superior to his '23 tape, in which he played tackle and guard. In saying that, patience will be needed to make Coleman a full time pass protector.
Veteran swing tackle Cornelius Griffin has the inside track to start at left tackle, but Coleman should get his opportunity at some point to see time at left tackle. In the meantime, it wouldn't be out of the question for Coleman to compete with Andrew Wylie for the starting right tackle sport.
Although it's true Coleman has the ceiling to be an effective guard on the next level, Washington's scouting department and coaches believe Coleman has what it takes to be an effective blindside protector on the next level.
Coleman has faced some of the best pass rushers in the nation over the last 4 years and played at a high level.
The former TCU offensive lineman has what it takes to be an effective lineman on the next level, but only time will tell if it will be at left tackle or guard.
*GAMES WATCHED*
11/12/22 vs Texas, 12/3/22 vs KSU., 12/31/22 vs Michigan (Fiesta Bowl), 9/2/23 vs Colorado, 11/2/23 vs Texas Tech., 11/18 vs Baylor & 11/24 vs Oklahoma
**CLICK ON CARD FOR MORE SCOUTING REPORTS**
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