30 Days of Colts Fits: DE Bradyn Swinson, LSU

Swinson is a former three-star recruit who chose to attend Oregon out of high school. He spent three years with the program, primarily serving as a reserve pass rusher for the team. He totaled 5.5 tackles for a loss and three sacks in those three seasons before re-entering the transfer portal as a three-star recruit. He ultimately chose to attend LSU for the final two years of his career.

Swinson remained as a rotational player in his first season with the Tigers, but he saw significantly more playing time. He totaled 35 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, 2.0 sacks, and five pass breakups on the year. His true breakout season came in 2024 as a fifth-year senior, when he started 12 games and finished with 13.5 tackles for a loss and 8.0 sacks. He earned Second Team All-SEC for his strong play this past season.

Swinson participated in the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl this offseason and was one of the biggest standouts during the week.

Size/Testing

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 255 pounds

Arm Length: 33.38 inches

Testing Numbers: Short-Shuttle: 4.33 seconds / 3-Cone Drill: 7.13 seconds

Standout Traits on Film

Swinson is arguably the best pure pass rusher in this draft (at the moment). He wins in a variety of ways as a rusher, blending a diverse move set with long arms and adequate agility. He is also a rock-solid run defender with good hands and power to displace blockers at the point of attack. He was productive against top-tier talent in the SEC, which especially means something to NFL evaluators.

Pro Football Focus had sky-high grades for Swinson this past season, ranking him as the number 12 edge rusher in this class off of pass rush grade. He also scored highly in pass rush win rate, ranking number five among all draft-eligible defensive ends in win rate on true pass blocking sets (34.1%). Simply put, Swinson was a fantastically productive pass rusher this past season at LSU.

Swinson isn't the exact type of player that Chris Ballard typically covets at defensive end, but he did break his normal trend by targeting Laiatu Latu last offseason. Swinson is similar to Latu in the sense that they were both high-floor prospects with a developed pass-rushing plan, but the two players would complement each other well.

Latu is more of a finesse rusher who wins with his quick hands, while Swinson is a power-oriented player who runs over offensive tackles to set up his plan. The Colts could pair this duo long term and have a very capable starting rotation at edge with Swinson added to the mix.

Colts' Interest

Edge rusher is an underrated need for the Colts in this draft. Latu is the only player under contract following this season, and the Colts could use more young talent off the edge. Swinson is a highly productive rusher who would add some much-needed juice alongside Kwity Paye and Latu going forward.

The Colts have met with Swinson a few times this offseason, and his personality would be a great fit in this city. Knowing Ballard's history of investing in the trenches, I wouldn't be shocked to see Swinson be the team's round two selection.

OTHER ENTRIES

• SAF Andrew Mukuba, Texas
• CB Zah Frazier, UTSA
• QB Riley Leonard, Notre Dame

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