2026 NFL Draft: What Michigan FB/TE Max Bredeson brings to the pros

Strengths

• Physical force who explodes into run blocks
• Reliable in pass protection
• Plays with great balance and a strong base
• Despite his late-season injury, durability remains a strength
• Two-time team captain, leader, and culture-setter

Weaknesses

• Non-factor with the ball in his hands
• His length will make finishing blocks harder in the NFL
• Limited athleticism
• Below-average hands as a pass catcher
• Requires a specific role at the next level

Summary

Bredeson is a player who may have been born 30 years too late. He is a throwback — an old-school glass-eater who just wants to run the damn ball behind him. The last of a dying breed. However, as any seasoned fan knows, the NFL is cyclical and power running has slowly made a comeback at the next level as Cover 2 defenses have spread to limit the vertical passing game. Bredeson *hopes* to be viewed as a tweener prospect somewhere between Kyle Juszczyk of the 49ers and Patrick Ricard, who just signed with the Giants. A versatile H-back who can mix it up between the tackles and be viewed as a moving battering ram in space. A similar sentence was written for former Michigan fullback Ben Mason ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft, but Bredeson, in my humble opinion, projects better at the next level. Bredeson will not be drafted as high as Mason (Round 5), but Mason was viewed as a jack of all blue-collar trades who never quite mastered any in the NFL. Bredeson, for all his limitations, is a master of run-blocking with room to grow. Bredeson likely faces another closed door during the NFL Draft and will likely have to settle for being an undrafted free agent — similar to his college recruitment. But this could also work in Bredeson’s favor. Requiring a specific fit, Bredeson will have his choice of team and system. Much like college, if Bredeson had chosen to go to another school, would he have grown into the player we know now? Any team looking to instill toughness and competition in training camp will call Bredeson. And it won’t be the first time he has had to take the long way to get on the field. Who knows, maybe the same person who cracked the door five years ago does the same for Bredeson in the NFL.