Black and Gold. No player on Vanderbilt’s roster has embraced being a Commodore more than offensive lineman Bradley Ashmore.
Since being an early enrollee at Vanderbilt in the Spring of 2020, Ashmore has been a consummate professional in the offensive line room. Despite not hearing his name called in the 2024 NFL Draft, the senior captain will look to prove that he is NFL-ready.
Ashmore embraced his duty during his time at West End as a leader who did everything he was asked. Whether he was asked to play right tackle or right guard, he wanted to help the team. Offensive linemen do the dirty work and oftentimes do not get the recognition they deserve.
He embraced his role as captain in 2023. He was the first player to speak up and helped Clark Lea in the culture change around Vanderbilt Football starting his sophomore year. Ashmore’s vocal presence led to making an appearance at the SEC Media Day in both 2021 and 2022.
The Florida native started in 37 games across his four seasons at Vanderbilt. The right tackle has played 2,403 career snaps in college football and allowed 9 total sacks across his time on West End. Ashmore allowed 14 hurries, 5 hits, 3 sacks and 22 total pressures in 2023. Ashmore committed 4 of his 10 total penalties as a Commodore during his senior season.
At Vanderbilt, Ashmore spent most of his time either successfully protecting Ken Seals, Mike Wright or AJ Swann. Ashmore is eager to help protect quarterbacks at the next level. Let’s see what Ashmore has done well and needs to improve on before he goes to the NFL.
Numbers and Measurements
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 304 lbs
40-Yard Dash: 5.39 seconds
Vertical: 29.5 inches
None of Ashmore’s measurements are jaw-dropping. Nonetheless, he has the height measurements to fit strongly in an NFL offensive line room. He has 304 lbs. and I would not be surprised to see a team try to convert some of Ashmore’s weight to 10 pounds more of muscle.
Ashmore’s 40-yard dash time (5.39 seconds) was the same time as the Las Vegas Raiders’ Thayer Munford ran in the 2022 NFL Draft. Munford was selected in the seventh round two seasons ago and was a two-time member of the First-Team All-Big Ten team. Ashmore’s quickness is below average but as a good level of toughness.
Strengths
Ashmore is especially good at blocking the run. The lineman excelled in run protection in 2023 and was ranked first in the nation amongst guards in run blocking through week four, according to Pro Football Focus. The day before Vanderbilt’s game against Ole Miss on Oct. 28, 2023, Ashmore led the SEC with a run block grade of 86.7.
A key reason for Ashmore’s success in the run game was that he always found a way to find the defensive lineman in the trenches. He does a good job of bringing the Vanderbilt runners upfield and protecting the quarterback. He also committed just one false start penalty in 2023 and went seven consecutive games without committing a penalty in 2021.
Ashmore’s strength is also his leadership style. He will have no issue acclimating to a new environment from a personality point of view. Ashmore is a team-first player, which will be integral for a rookie offensive lineman. In 2023, The 6’6” offensive lineman was part of the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team. He was also a member of the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll (2020) team and is a two-time member of the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll (2022, 2023).
Despite being Derek Mason’s first recruit from the Class of 2020, Ashmore’s willingness to buy into Lea’s new culture is a testament to the type of leader Ashmore will bring to an NFL leader. Instead of entering the transfer portal, Ashmore stayed at Vanderbilt and embraced Lea’s new coaching style. Ashmore is a tough, driven player who will look to provide depth to an NFL offensive line room.
Areas for Improvement
Ashmore needs to improve his athleticism and strength. He lacks twitchiness and can be in a vulnerable position when matching up against NFL defensive ends or cornerbacks as he did against the Georgia Bulldogs or Tennessee Volunteers in 2023. Although he played some college games at the guard position, I fear that he will be forced to only play tackle at the NFL because he is a more natural tackle than guard.
Ashmore sometimes plays too upright when in pass protection. While there may be benefits to standing upright at times, Ashmore would find himself losing a step due to not being in an athletic enough position. Losing a step could lead to being beaten one-on-one against an edge rusher or a 3-technique at the NFL level. Sometimes in protection, especially when Vanderbilt elects to pass the ball, Ashmore sometimes dives and fails when he tries to stop rushers from wreaking havoc to Vanderbilt’s quarterback.
Ashmore will need to work on his footwork, athleticism and leg strength to find a spot on a team’s 53-man roster come late August.
NFL Comparison
Daniel Brunskill, Tennessee Titans
Ashmore and Brunskill both went undrafted. Brunskill, an eight-year NFL veteran, has similar measurements to Ashmore (6’5”, 300 lbs). Brunskill, like Ashmore, is used to playing different positions on the line and played four different positions on the line with the San Francisco 49ers in the 2022-23 season.
Brunskill also is known to be weak in pass protection, specifically against impressive 3-technique defenders. Both Brunskill and Ashmore have flashes that have inconsistency in pass protection. They also were both captains of their college teams in their senior years of college.
Draft Prediction
Undrafted, Miami Dolphins
After the 2024 NFL Draft concluded, Ashmore went undrafted. I predict Ashmore to sign a contract with the Miami Dolphins. If Ashmore is signed by the Dolphins, he will share an offensive line room with veterans Terron Armstead and Isaiah Wynn.
