Bryson Cooley

Physical Profile

Listed at 6-6, 328 lbs. Taller than 42% and heavier than 95% of 2026 Offensive Tackle prospects in the SEC Scouts database (182 with a listed size).

Play Style

He is a physical, forward-moving run blocker who plays best when asked to open running lanes. He is most effective on down blocks, double teams and angle blocks, where his size and base let him move defenders off the line or wall off one side. He plays with a mean streak and keeps working through the end of plays. In pass protection his feet are good enough to mirror high school edge rushers, but his hand timing and balance are still developing. He is at his best when he can set and anchor rather than protect in open space.

Strengths

• Down-blocking and drive power: Brooks calls him a 'strong down blocker who can wipe out a side of the line.' He wins at the point of attack on gap and angle blocks and was a key part of a West Jones offense that averaged more than 360 yards per game in 2025.
• Size already at college level: at 6-6 and 315-328 lbs he doesn't need a long bulking phase. His development can focus on technique and on reshaping his body rather than adding weight.
• Explosive power backed by track results: his shot put marks (44-10 at state, 46-3 season best) show lower-body force that fits a gap and duo run game.
• Can play more than one spot: he projects at guard or tackle. Brooks noted he has 'the physical traits to contribute at multiple spots,' which helps him earn a backup role early.
• Effort and attitude: he gets 'consistent effort in all scenarios' in Brooks' evaluation, and scouting write-ups describe him as mean and physical in the trenches, finishing blocks through the whistle.

Areas to Improve

• Body control and balance: Brooks lists body control as only average. He can overextend and lean on blocks, which is exposed more in space and on pass sets against quick SEC edge rushers than against high school defenders.
• Getting off the snap consistently: his snap anticipation varies from play to play. In college, a slow first step against a stunt or a quick interior rusher means losing half a gap, so his get-off and pass-set rhythm need drilling.
• Pass protection against speed: his film is mostly run blocking. He needs to improve his kick-slide depth, how he times his punch, and how he recovers against inside counter moves before he can hold up at tackle. If that doesn't come, guard is his most likely position.
• Body composition: moving from 315 to 328 lbs should be done by adding strength and cutting fat, not just adding weight, so he keeps the foot speed that projects him as a possible tackle.

College Projection

Expect a redshirt or special-teams and depth role in 2026 while he works under Alabama offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic, who kept building the relationship while Cooley was committed to LSU. Guard is the most likely position for early playing time, because 247's IOL listing and his power-first game both point to the interior. If his pass sets and body control improve, he could stay at tackle as a swing lineman. A realistic timeline is rotational snaps in year 2 and a push for a starting job in year 3 (2028), with a possible multi-year starting run at guard after that.

NFL Outlook

Brooks at 247 projects him to go on Day 3 (rounds 4-7), citing his size, power and ability to play several positions against his average body control and snap anticipation. His best NFL path is as a power guard, a position that rewards his mass and down-blocking and puts less pressure on his length. If he develops at Alabama into a technically clean two-year starter, he could move into the Day 2 range. If he doesn't, his ceiling is a backup interior lineman who plays several spots on an NFL roster.

Best Fit

A power-run scheme built on gap, counter, duo and double teams, where he can drive defenders off the ball instead of reaching them laterally in space, which fits Alabama's approach up front. Starting him at guard while he develops as a tackle gets the most out of him early. A heavy outside-zone team that depends on athletic reach blocks would fit him less well.