Brewers place Brandon Woodruff on IL with shoulder inflammation following Thursday’s early exit
Brandon Woodruff placed on 15-day IL due to shoulder inflammation.
**NFL comparison:** Renell Wren / Sharrif Floyd **Big Board rank:** No. 214 overall (selected: No. 181 overall) **Positional rank:** DT21 (selected: DT14) **Round grade:** 5 My pre-draft scouting report on Durant:
Zane Durant is an adequately sized, well-built interior defensive lineman who primarily wins as a one-gap penetrator. He plays with good balance and a naturally low center of gravity, which helps him hold up better than expected despite lacking ideal mass. His game is driven by burst and acceleration through a chosen gap, and he shows the ability to convert that initial quickness into power when he times it correctly.
As a pass rusher, Durant is largely a one-track player who leans heavily on his first-step quickness and ability to shoot gaps. His hand usage is limited, and his overall pass-rush plan lacks variety, with few counters once his initial move is stalled. Against the run, he can anchor at times thanks to his pad level and strength, though his upfield style will also take him out of position on occasion. He isn’t a natural disengager, but his athleticism and change-of-direction ability make him effective on stunts and in movement-based fronts.
Overall, Durant projects as a rotational, scheme-dependent interior defender whose value is tied to his penetration ability and athletic disruption. He has the traits to contribute along the defensive line, but his impact will hinge on how he’s deployed and whether he can continue to develop his hands and expand his rush approach.
**Height:** 6’2 (25th percentile among DTs) **Weight:** 290 (13th) **Arm Length:** 31 7/8” (10th) **Hand Size:** 10 5/8” (88th) **10-Yard Split:** 1.66 (93rd) **40-Yard Dash:** 4.75 (98th) **Vertical Jump:** 33 1/2” (91st) **Broad Jump:** 112” (85th)
Strictly based on my pre-draft evaluations and grades, which of course are meant to be viewed from a league-wide perspective and not tailored to specific teams, I thought the Durant selection was a reach, albeit not a major one, as I did have a fifth-round grade on him. He has a John Franklin-Myers-esque body type and explosiveness, which is precisely the type of player I believe the Bills were hoping to find in Durant in the fifth round — an explosive linear interior rusher who can play in the 280s at five technique — aligned on the outside shoulder of the offensive tackles — to control multiple gaps at times but simply win with sheer aggressive, deceptive power through speed-to-power conversion, and electric first-step quicks when given the green-light. Franklin-Myers was a fourth-round pick in 2018 and became an integral, dirty-work type three-down piece of those Broncos defenses with Vance Joseph, Jim Leonhard and Co. the past two seasons. Sure, late in Round 5, you’re taking a flier and player comparisons are hardly ever completely perfect. Yet if the Bills get even 80% of Franklin-Myers out of this Durant selection, it’d represent a massive return-on-investment.
Brandon Woodruff placed on 15-day IL due to shoulder inflammation.
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