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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. NFL training camps have arrived, and one of the most intriguing breakout candidates for the Atlanta Falcons is on the defensive side of the ball: tackle Brandon Dorlus.
Dorlus was the Falcons' fourth-round pick in 2024 out of Oregon, where he closed out his college career with a team-high five sacks as a senior in 2023, finishing with 27 career tackles for loss and racking up 12 sacks over his five seasons in Eugene. That production earned him first-team All-Pac-12 honors in his final year.
Yet, despite initially looking like one of the biggest steals of the draft, he played in just two games as a rookie. It wasn't until last season, once he finally got on the field, that the potential turned into production: 27 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits, and 8.5 sacks in 15 games, even with just nine starts.
His 8.5 sacks were the second-most sacks by any defensive tackle in the NFL, behind only All-Pro Jeffery Simmons (11). It was also the fourth-most sacks by a Falcons defensive tackle in a single season since sacks became an official stat in 1982.
What's crazy is he did all of that while playing less than 50% of the Falcons' defensive snaps, and four of his 8.5 sacks came over his last five games of the season.
Now entering his third professional season, Dorlus has quickly emerged as one of the league's most disruptive interior pass rushers under new defensive line coach Nate Ollie and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
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But that's not even what makes the argument so compelling heading into 2026; it's the opportunity in front of him.
Starters David Onyemata and Ruke Orhorhoro are both gone. That's two players who led the position group in snaps last year, and the team now needs younger players to take on bigger roles. Dorlus is at the forefront of it all.
The advanced metrics only further back up that he can be that player. Dorlus generated 26 total pressures last season, while also holding up as a run defender. His overall PFF grade of 63.5 ranked 46th among 134 qualified defensive linemen, and his 61.6 run-defense grade ranked 38th.
With a full year of experience in Ollie's system, and an expanded workload expected, Dorlus enters camp as a foundational piece of the Falcons' defense. If he builds on his second-half surge last year, Dorlus has a real chance to push into the conversation among the top interior rushers in the NFL.
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