Thursday night, Damascus native Bryan Bresee realized his dream of playing in the NFL. The New Orleans Saints, picking 29th in the first round of the NFL Draft, selected the 21 year-old defensive lineman from Clemson University.
Last September, Bresee lost his younger sister Ella, 15, to brain cancer. TheĀ Bresee family, watching the draft at home in Damascus, wore “Ella Strong” shirts.
Bryan Bresee and his family wore "Ella Strong" shirts on draft night š§”
Bresee's younger sister, Ella, died of brain cancer in September 2022. pic.twitter.com/4l7sFcpzw7
— ESPN (@espn) April 28, 2023
Bresee was a two-time USA Today All-American at Damascus High School, racking up 134 career tackles 80.5 tackles for loss, and 35 sacks, including 14 in his senior year. He was ranked the No.1 overall recruit in the country by 247Sports, and committed to play at Clemson, where he garnered plenty of accolades, including ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020, becoming the second Clemson player ever to do so. Bresee was third-team All-ACC in 2021 and second-team All-ACC in 2022.
Bresee, The 6’5″, 298 lb., is the second Damascus player to be drafted in the last three drafts joining Jake Funk, a Maryland Terrapin alum, who was selected in the 7th round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams.
For those interested in seeing Bresee play in person, the Saints do not play the Washington Commanders or Baltimore Ravens in 2023. The closest game to the DMV will be in Charlotte, NC. The Saints play at the Carolina Panthers. The date of the game has not been announced yet. NFL schedules will be released in May.
