2011 NFL Draft Player Profile | Brandon Fusco 

Slippery Rock has a tendency to produce excellent interior lineman. However, rarely are they lineman with NFL potential like Brandon Fusco. In fact, the only players to ever be drafted from Slippery Rock were all running backs, with Greg Paterra being selected in the 11th Round of the 1989 NFL Draft.

Fusco was a four year starter for Slippery Rocker, which is a small Divison II school based in Pennsylvania. He was a former offensive tackle who’s skillset benefited him most bumping inside.

Player Name: Brandon Fusco

Position: Center

School: Slippery Rock

Height: 6’4

Weight: 306

Arm Length: 33 ¾

Strengths

Fusco’s intangibles really make him special. He’s a smart kid who was a team captain in 2009 and 2010. Fusco does a great job holding the point of attack. He has long arms for a center, and extends them well in pass protection. He has shown much improvement in mirroring defenders, and gets a good push in the run game. Fusco’s lateral ability has improved as well, and moving him to a guard position at the next level is also an option. He gets good leverage against stronger defensive tackles as well.

Weaknesses

The biggest red flag for Fusco is the competition he faced at Slippery Rock. Fusco doesn’t consistently play with a mean streak, and struggles to finish initial blocks, hindering his ability to get to the next level. Against quicker defensive tackles, he struggles to keep them in front of him consistently, and is still a work in progress.

Draft Range

There’s some argument to where Fusco could go in the draft. I consider him to be a solid fourth round prospect, and him falling to the fifth round would be my floor for him. I think a team like Chicago would love to grab him in the mid rounds and groom him behind veteran Olin Kruetz.

NFL Comparison: Shaun O’Hara