Max Bredeson is not supposed to be here. A preferred walk-on out of Hartland, Wisconsin who showed up at Michigan without a scholarship offer, Bredeson spent five years turning himself into a two-time team captain and a CFP national champion — winning the 2025 Lowman Trophy along the way. His older brother Ben Bredeson is an NFL guard with the Buccaneers. Max is cut from the same cloth: gritty, scheme-smart, and absolutely willing to do whatever the team needs. What the team needs from Max Bredeson, it turns out, is to annihilate linebackers at the second level so someone else can score. He's very, very good at that.
The question the 2026 NFL Draft will answer is whether any team still cares. Full-time fullbacks are nearly extinct — but the NFL teams that do run 21-personnel gap schemes (think Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, San Francisco) build their identities around exactly this player type. Bredeson at 6'2", 240-plus pounds, is built for those systems. His 2024 film shows a player Michigan trusted in protect-the-lead situations, short-yardage packages, and goal-line formations week after week. He's not a fantasy asset — he's a roster-building asset for NFL front offices that still believe in running the ball down someone's throat.
STRENGTHS
Bredeson's best trait shows up on every pull-and-lead run in Michigan's gap scheme: he finishes blocks. Most fullbacks at the college level will engage a linebacker and hope the tailback bounces outside — Bredeson drives defenders off their spots. Film from the Arkansas State, Minnesota, and Northwestern games shows him locking onto second-level defenders and moving them out of the running lane with low pad level and relentless leg drive. His contact balance as a lead blocker is elite for the position; he absorbs re-directs at the point of attack without losing his footing. Michigan ran power and gap concepts as an institutional identity in 2024, and Bredeson was the fulcrum of that scheme on a weekly basis.
As a ball carrier — in his limited role — Bredeson is a north-south grinder who trusts his blockers and keeps his pads low. The Northwestern highlights show him hitting the crease with purpose and genuine second gear when space presents; against Washington on a third-down carry, he absorbed contact at the second level and churned for extra yards rather than going down on first contact. Against Arkansas State he showed patience in the hole, reading blocks before committing to the crease. Scout 2 graded his contact balance at 9/10 and his vision at 8/10 — high marks for a prospect who barely touched the ball on designed carries.
Pass protection is the hidden value that separates a depth fullback from one who actually sticks on an NFL 53-man roster. Michigan's staff trusted Bredeson in passing-down packages and protect-the-lead formations throughout 2024 — he's on the field when the game is on the line. His technique is functional: he sets his feet, meets rushers at the point of attack, and doesn't give up on the play. His football IQ — honed over five years in a pro-style offense under a demanding coaching staff — shows up here. NFL special teams coordinators will also notice: Bredeson is exactly the kind of character-first, execution-focused player who logs 200+ special teams snaps a year and stays on rosters for a decade.
CONCERNS
The dynasty-killer grade is receiving. Bredeson had 3 catches for 24 yards in all of 2024. That's it. There is essentially no evidence on tape of crisp route running, hands work against coverage, or the kind of separation ability that makes a modern FB/H-back relevant in the passing game. The Kyle Juszczyk model — the pinnacle of the position — works because Juszczyk catches 30-plus balls a year and makes defenses respect him in the flat. Bredeson simply cannot do that right now, and there's nothing in his film to suggest he's developing into it. That limits his ceiling to 15-20 snaps per game in the right scheme, and eliminates him as a fantasy asset in any format.
Athleticism is the other honest concern. Bredeson will not run away from NFL linebackers in open space — Scout 2 estimated his 40 time around 4.65, and Scout 1 notes he's visibly the slowest player on the field in peripheral involvement, which is expected for a fullback but matters when projecting his upside. His effectiveness at Michigan is also somewhat scheme-dependent: he was operating behind one of the best offensive lines in the country in a system purpose-built for gap running. Against tougher fronts — Oregon, Ohio State, Illinois — his individual impact was harder to isolate. A combine performance that confirms the speed concerns could push him into UDFA territory.
SCOUT GRADES
Scout 1 evaluated Bredeson as a fullback/H-back and assigned an overall score of 54/100, projecting him as a Round 6-7 pick or UDFA. The report graded his contact balance and power at B+ (77/100), pass protection at B (68/100), and scheme fit at B (70/100) — all strong marks for the position. The drag is receiving (D+, 35/100) and explosiveness (C, 48/100), which cap his NFL upside. Scout 1's realistic NFL comp is Patrick Ricard — a four-time Pro Bowl fullback who earns his check entirely through blocking excellence and run-game manipulation — with Kyle Juszczyk cited as the ceiling Bredeson would need to reach to have Pro Bowl-level impact.
Scout 2 took a slightly different lens, evaluating Bredeson more as a power running back and grading him 68/100 with the same Round 6-7 / UDFA projection. The higher overall score reflects strong marks in contact balance (9/10), vision (8/10), and power (8/10), with speed (5/10) and burst/acceleration (6/10) as the notable weaknesses. Scout 2's comps land at Zach Charbonnet as a floor and Justice Hill as a ceiling — reflecting a more optimistic view of his potential to contribute as a committee back in gap/power NFL offenses. Both scouts agree on the draft range and the core profile: a legitimate Day 3 hammer who needs the right landing spot.
PROJECTION
In dynasty fantasy football, Max Bredeson is best left on the waiver wire. The position group has near-zero target share and touch volume, and even a best-case NFL outcome — a multi-year starter in Baltimore or Pittsburgh's power run game — produces no fantasy-relevant statistics. He is not worth a roster spot in any redraft or dynasty format, including deep leagues. His fantasy ceiling is a handful of goal-line vulture touches per season in a scheme that uses him as a setup blocker before the actual RB punches it in.
For NFL teams, the calculus is different. Bredeson in the right scheme — a Ravens, Eagles, or 49ers type — could develop into a core piece of a run-game identity. Year 1 looks like a special-teams contributor who sees 10-15 offensive snaps in 21-personnel packages. By Year 2-3, if he can add even a modest receiving dimension (15-20 catches), he becomes a genuine starter at the position. The floor is a UDFA who makes a practice squad and never sticks. The spread between those outcomes is wide, and it mostly depends on where he lands. But Bredeson — walk-on, two-time captain, national champion — has a track record of beating the odds.
View Max Bredeson's full player profile, measurables, and scouting breakdown →
🎬 All-22 Film Analysis Update
*Updated after All-22 film review by Scout1 and Scout2.*
Film Score: 61.0/100 (→ No change from base score of 61.0)
Composite Score: 60.5
Scout1 Assessment Max Bredeson is an old-school, blue-collar fullback/H-back out of Michigan who earned two team captain designations through sheer effort and execution rather than any standout physical tools. The case for him is straightforward: he is an elite run-blocking fulcrum who fits cleanly into any power-run system, comes from a program that generates NFL-ready blockers, and carries the pedigree of a two-time captain and national champion. The case against is just as simple — fullbacks are nearly extinct...
Scout2 Assessment Legit Day 3 hammer with starter upside in right scheme—don't sleep on the balance/power combo.
SCOUT SCORE **Score: 68/100** **Projected Pick: R6-7 or UDFA**
Film Score: 68 / 100
*Film analysis is based on All-22 footage reviewed independently by two scouts. Scores reflect on-field evidence and may differ from pre-film model projections.*