Deerfield Beach alum Brandon Dorlus picked by Atlanta Falcons in NFL draft

Deerfield Beach had numerous stars in Brandon Dorlus‘ time with the Bucks. Now it’s the defensive lineman’s time to shine.

The Atlanta Falcons picked Dorlus with the 109th pick in the fourth round of the NFL draft on Saturday. He is the second Broward County player to be picked in this year’s draft, following former St. Thomas Aquinas star Dallas Turner.

Dorlus was a standout defensive lineman at Deerfield Beach, earning first-team All-County honors as a senior after notching 74 tackles, including 27 for losses, three forced fumbles and 11 sacks. Despite success in high school, he was not a highly touted prospect — Dorlus was rated a three-star prospect in the 247Sports composite rankings and was the No. 55 strong-side defensive end.

Dorlus signed with Oregon out of high school and spent five years with the Ducks, growing into one of the top defensive linemen in the PAC-12. He notched 108 tackles, 27 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. Last season, Dorlus had 25 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and a career-high five sacks.

“I feel like I for sure fulfilled everything I wanted to,” Dorlus told the South Florida Sun Sentinel at the Senior BowI. “I met my goals. We didn’t meet our team goals. We wanted to win everything, but that’s how football is. It’s a game of inches.

“Of course, I would want more stats, but I’m happy with what I did. I put everything I wanted to put on film, showed I’m disruptive in the run game, disruptive in the pass, effort player, plays for my team.”

Dorlus played a mix of defensive end and defensive tackle in college, and he wants the NFL teams interested in him to know that he is versatile.

“I feel like I can cause havoc inside,” Dorlus said. “And honestly I’m more comfortable inside. I can play on the edge, if you need me to. I’ll stop the run. I’ll do anything you ask of me. I’m one of those players, whatever you ask, I’ll do it.”