Who, and what, is Brandin Bryant?

An undrafted small-school defensive lineman may just be the most intriguing Seahawk in camp this year.

Brandin Bryant is getting a lot of buzz these days, and that may cause the Seattle Seahawks coaching staff and front office to cringe.

Bryant is a defensive tackle out of Florida Atlantic. He fits the mold of smaller, penetrating DT that Carroll always likes to find a place for in his rotation. Bryant is 6-2 and 290 pounds, and had a productive four-year college career, racking up 121 total tackles, with 9.5 sacks among his 25 tackles for loss.

In his tape, he shows an outstanding burst off the line, as well as a wide array of pass-rush moves. He’s played on the outside as well, possessing the type of versatility Pete Carroll loves in his defensive linemen. He loves to show the offensive lineman that he’s going one way and then change direction, all while moving at full speed. He’s even shown a Dwight Freeney-like spin move.

Here’s some of his college highlights for your own perusal:

Since arriving in Seattle as a UDFA, Bryant has been a bit of a mystery. Initially, draft analysts trumpeted the signing as an under-the-radar steal, but then Seahawks GM John Schneider announced in may that Bryant was being converted to fullback, a position the team doesn’t really seem committed to any longer.

But when the team took the field in Renton today for the first training camp practice of 2016, Bryant wasn’t just working exclusively on the D-line, he was running with the 2nd team.

It could be that the team still fancies Bryant as a dual-threat type of player who could save them a roster spot, similar to what Will Tukuafu did the last two seasons. Or maybe they didn’t see enough to like him in that spot during OTA’s and mini camp.

Or it could just be that they feel he has a high enough ceiling as a pass-rushing interior lineman that having him focus on just that position makes the most sense.

He may have an uphill battle to make the roster that way, however. Seattle drafted a similar player, Quinton Jefferson, in the 5th round this year, and veteran Jordan Hill has shown flashes in that spot as well.

Next: Predicting the 2016 Seahawks season, game by game

Or maybe the switch to full back was simply the Hawks way of trying to keep Bryant under the radar, to increase the likelihood of sneaking him through waivers and on to the practice squad later on.

Whatever the case, Brandin Bryant is a player worth keeping an eye on early in camp.