THE NFL DRAFT REPORT PRESENTS
THE 2019 WIDE RECEIVER DRAFT CLASS
INTERESTING BLEND OF PASS-CATCHERS TO FILL MOST NFL TEAM NEEDS
YET, NO SUPERSTARS IN THE GROUP
With more and more emphasis on the passing game these days, NFL teams generally concentrate on two positions throughout the draft phase - wide receiver and cornerback. Usually, the bigger wide-outs line up at split end, with your quicker receivers funneling through the second level at flanker. Most teams now use a variation of multiple receiver sets and the slot receiver is no longer reserved for those cat-quick "little guys."
The split end, also called the "X" receiver, is usually stationed at the line of scrimmage, necessary to meet the rule requiring seven such players at snap. Where applicable, this receiver is on the opposite side of the tight end. The split end is farthest from center on his side of the field and is generally a tall, physical type - one who can create mismatches vs. the smaller cornerbacks and elevate to win jump ball battles. Two assets needed by a player at this position is strength and quickness, as he will generally have to fend off jam coverage, as well as display enough power to work across the middle of the field and gain big yardage after the catch.
The flanker is also known as the "Z" receiver and is usually aligned behind the line of scrimmage. He is usually the team's featured receiver, the player who uses the initial buffer between himself and a defender to avoid immediate "jamming" (legal defensive contact within five yards of the line of scrimmage). The flanker is generally on the same side of the formation as a tight end. As with the split end, this receiver is the farthest player from the center on his side of the field. The flanker is usually lined up just like a split end except that he is just behind the line of scrimmage, therefore being in the backfield and not on the line. The flashier of the two outside pass catchers, the flanker will gain most of his opportunities outside the numbers and need that second gear to get vertical down the field in an instant.
Rapidly becoming very popular for pass-happy teams, the slot receiver, often referred to as the "Y" receiver usually line up anywhere from the split end to flanker positions. Some teams have also begun using speedy tight end types, or motion backs at this formation. If aligned with a flanker, the slot receiver is usually on the line of scrimmage, and if with a split end, off the line of scrimmage. As with the flanker position, a featured receiver often takes a slot position with a split end to avoid jamming. The smaller, speedy slot receivers are quite popular in most offensive schemes, but there seems to be a trend for using quick, undersized tight end types that are flexed out, creating mismatches by using their size and strength to defeat the press.
While used more in the Canadian Football League, where there are twelve players on a side, there is another designated position called the slot back. These are capable wide-outs who line up in the offensive back field. In the CFL and Arena Football, these players are allowed to take a running start at the line. They are usually larger players as they need to make catches over the middle. In American football, slot backs are typically used in flex-bone or other triple option offenses, while Canadian football uses two of them in almost all formations (in addition to two wide receivers and two running backs).
THE ROUND ONE PASS-CATCHERS
Marquise "Hollywood" Brown-#5
University of Oklahoma Sooners
5:09.3-166
Agility Tests...4.34 in the 40-yard dash…1.51 10-yard dash…2.50 20-yard dash…4.11 20-yard shuttle…6.78 three-cone drill…34-inch vertical jump…Bench pressed 225 pounds xx times…30 1/2-inch arm length…9-inch hands…71 3/4-inch wingspan.
Background...The cousin of Oakland Raiders receiver Antonio Brown, the Sooners speedy junior played late in the season with a foot injury that required Lisfranc surgery, preventing him from working out for teams this off-season. The school reported that in late March, doctors removed the boot from his foot and they are hopeful that he can participate in mini-camps right after the draft.
Brown came into this world two weeks earlier than expected, after his mom had a very difficult nine months throughout her pregnancy. “He came out, and he was a little guy,” Shannon James, his mother, said. He was small, but he was perfectly healthy. After two weeks in the hospital, Brown got to go home. From that day on, James says, he brought life to the family.
James raised Brown and his older sister, Shanice, on her own, with help from her parents. Her baby boy would go on to beat the odds in so many other ways, but the biggest challenge he ever faced was simply being born. A story of determination started with a mother’s love. “He was my miracle baby,” James said.
After a prep career at Chaminade Madonna High School, the Florida native did not receive any scholarships from Division one schools. He enrolled at the College of the Canyons for the 2016 season. Because California junior colleges do not offer sports scholarships, he worked at Six Flags Magic Mountain to make ends meet.
“I’d go, ‘Five, four, three’—and then I’d stop,” says Brown, explaining his job as ride operator. “Then I’d say, ‘Y’all want me to keep counting?’ and before they could respond I’d hit the button and the ride would take off.” The Oklahoma wide receiver can’t stifle a laugh at the memory of all those bugged eyes and strained necks.
Each ride operator at Magic Mountain, which hosts some three million guests each year, is encouraged to “have fun and come up with his own spiel,” supervisor Byron Douglas explained while standing beneath the double-looped and corkscrewed white tracks of the Full Throttle ride, where Brown worked, and which hovers over the park like tangled spaghetti. “Sometimes I switched it up,” Brown recalls, but usually he pulled his countdown trick, distracting guests to enhance the shock of Full Throttle’s initial rocket-like ascent.
Brown then began his own rise. After he recorded 50 receptions for 754 yards and ten touchdowns, leading the College of the Canyons Cougars in all three categories, he received several Division-I offers before deciding to attend the University of Oklahoma. During his first year with the Sooners, he played all thirteen games starting eight, as he had a team-high 1095 receiving yards on57 catches (19.2 ypc) and seven touchdowns, becoming the eighth-best receiver in season yards in the Sooners record book. He also posted 265 yards vs. Oklahoma State, a school record for receiving yards in a single game.
The 2018 campaign saw Brown receive consensus All-American honors. The All-Big Twelve Conference selection and Biletnikoff Award semifinalist started all but one of the fourteen games he appeared in. He ranked 14th nationally with 94.1 receiving yards per game. His 1,318 receiving yards rank as fourth most in school single-season history. He registered ten receiving touchdowns and tied for national lead in receptions of 40-plus yards (11), 50-plus yards (seven) and 60-plus yards (four).
Brown logged six games with at least 100 receiving yards. He paired with CeeDee Lamb to give OU its first duo to each record at least 1,000 receiving yards in a season. However, the end of the season was filled with injury issues. He caught five passes for 54 yards in league championship vs. Texas before exiting game in third quarter due to a foot injury. That injury limited him vs. then top-ranked Alabama in CFP Semifinal at the Orange Bowl and he did not register a reception. On January 2nd, 2019, Brown announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility to declare for the 2019 NFL Draft.
The Scouting Report
Athletic Ability... Brown has a short, yet athletic frame (classic slot receiver-type) with good muscle definition, decent arm length, tight waist and hips, small bubble and minimal body fat. He is much lighter than what teams look for in a receiver and even though he was a flanker in college, he will more likely be utilized as a slot receiver in the NFL.
He displays solid footwork and agility getting into his routes and his balance is acceptable, despite some ankle issues (does cut sharply though). He has good stop-&-go action and excellent timed speed that translates well on the field due to an explosive second gear. He shows good acceleration, athleticism, and body control handling returns.
He shows that burst needed to turn a slant pass into a long gainer (gained 1,256-of-2,411 yards after the catch as a Sooner). He also displays the vision and patience to follow his blockers and then turn on the after-burners to beat the defense down the sidelines. He has outstanding hip snap and agility to elude in attempts to gain big yardage after the catch. He makes smooth body adjustments and possesses solid hands and extension to catch away from his frame.
Release... Brown simply explodes out of his stance and past a lethargic defender to instantly get into his patterns. One noticeable improvement that he made as a junior was showing that he can be just as smooth as sudden in his release, which will generally fool the defender and get the man covering him to come out of the backpedal too early. He has the ability to elude the press with his quickness and footwork. He has also become much more active using his hands to prevent from getting held up when the physical cornerback attempts to stab him initially.
He has that natural second gear to gobble up the cushion and get behind the cornerbacks on deep routes (14-of-17 touchdowns came on 20-plus yard plays). He does a nice job of sinking pads and it is hard to mirror him once he gets past his opponent. He also generates decent hand usage to beat the press. He shows outstanding foot quickness and hip shake with suddenness when trying to change direction (very good at freezing defenders at the line of scrimmage).
The thing you notice mostly on film is his exceptional acceleration to get up field once he creates the lane. Unlike most speedsters, he does not dance too much at the line and that allows him to show outstanding quickness in his release, with the shiftiness and avoidance ability at the line of scrimmage to defeat the press. Even though he is still developing strength, he does a good job of pushing off the defender and quickly eludes with his swim move.
Acceleration...Brown shows excellent burst and explosion in his RAC, as he has the feet and loose hips to change direction without needing to gather or throttle down. He runs very crisp routes and has more than enough quickness, spin and swim movement to escape from tight man coverage. His burst has that “catch me if you can” label for defenders to view as he races by. Once he gets a clean release and into the second level, it is nearly impossible to slow him down. He has great body control and adjustment skills to maintain stride and speed running through tight quarters. He might not look like he has size to run through traffic, but with his strength and burst, he easily creates separation to turn the slants and fades into big gainers. If a defender hesitates, Brown can change gears and beat his man, gaining 52.09% of his yardage after the catch during his last two seasons.
Quickness...Brown has had a strong-armed quarterback to work with the last two years, resulting in him being used mostly the featured receiver on deep patterns, but he also has good ability working out of the slot on controlled and underneath routes. It is evident that he can get vertical in an instant. He does a good job of getting under the deep throws, turning nicely to make the over-the-shoulder grabs. He is blessed with outstanding quickness on the field. He makes short and sharp cuts without having to break stride and his initial burst is sudden, especially when left uncontested. He can avoid defenders on the move, create lanes and get up field in an instant once he gets a clean release. It is rare to see him get “too busy” with the press corners at the line of scrimmage and he quickly gains advantage on the defender due to his speed.
Route Running...Brown used to round his cuts at times and drift in and out on long patterns, but has shown vast improvement the last two years, running precise routes with good suddenness. He has a nice array of head fakes and double moves to con and sell the defender, proving to be especially slippery on slants, as he drops his weight well and gets back to the ball with little-to-no wasted motion. If you need a receiver to fly off the line, especially on posts, this is where he excels. He has the ability to make things happen on comeback routes, showing good urgency working back when the quarterback is flushed. He displays excellent quickness and foot speed in and out of his breaks. When he plays at a low pad level, he gets into his routes immediately.
Separation Ability... Brown has really developed his escape skills as a junior, more out of necessity, as he is not the biggest receiver on this planet. He has also excelled on deep patterns, thanks to having a quarterback with the arm strength to stretch the defense. He has that explosive burst to get vertical and will simply blow past defenders, in addition to showing the vision to find the void and settle. There is no doubt that he will be able to gain separation vs. NFL cornerbacks, but will need to get stronger, as he’s not always going to negotiate a clean release. He has shown marked improvement sinking his hips and exploding out of his breaks, no longer struggling to separate when he comes off the snap with an erect stance (did this as a sophomore). In the NFL, he might be better served as a slot receiver, as he excels at taking slants and crossers for big yardage rather than lining out wide.
Leaping Ability...Brown lacks the size to beat too many defenders to throws at its high point. He is a good leaper in the training room (34-inch vertical) but even with good timing to go up and get the ball, his lack of height will see him lose quite a few jump ball battles.
Hands...Brown does a nice job of catching every ball thrown his way. He has the soft, natural hands, along with the ability to snatch high and away from his frame. He displays above average ball security skills to excel as a receiver. He looks natural getting elevation and extension to catch outside his frame, but he will drop a few easy passes, which usually occur as a result of momentarily losing focus (goes in spurts-dropped 14-of-185 passes at OU). He has soft, natural hands, extending well to catch away from the body’s framework. He is not the type that will revert to body catching, as he is a soft hands catcher who just needs to learn how to time his leaps properly to get to the pass at its highest point.
Run After the Catch...Brown is an exciting and electrifying open field runner. He is an elusive shaker with excellent change of direction skills, sort of like a water bug the way he can slip, slide and elude on the move. He not only shows good quickness working in the short area, but great toughness, as well. He has outstanding skill set in terms of speed, quickness, agility and change of direction. Despite his slight frame, he is tough to bring down in isolated coverage and does a nice job of sidestepping low tackles. When he is out in front, he will generally win most foot races. More than 52% of his career yardage has come after the catch.
Compares To...Desean Jackson-Philadelphia Eagles...While they have the same athletic talent, Brown has far more courage that Jackson. Both are blessed that exceptional foot quickness that you instantly notice in their burst and acceleration. Expected to play the slot in the NFL, Brown should excel on screens, hitches, and underneath routes, as few receivers in this draft have his ability to slip a tackle and take it the distance.
THE MOST IMPRESSIVE ATHLETE AT THE POSITION MIGHT, METCALF HOPES INJURY ISSUES ARE BEHIND HIM
DeKaylin "D.K." Metcalf-#14
The University of Mississippi Rebels
6:03.3-228
Agility Tests...4.33 in the 40-yard dash…1.48 10-yard dash…2.53 20-yard dash…4.50 20-yard shuttle…7.38 three-cone drill…40 1/2-inch vertical jump…11'-02" broad jump… Bench pressed 225 pounds 27 times…34 7/8-inch arm length…9 7/8-inch hands…82 7/8-inch wingspan.
Background...DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf is the son of former National Football League (NFL) offensive lineman Terrence Metcalf, who also played for Ole Miss. The family NFL tree expands to another era, as D.K.'s grandfather, Terry, was a star running back for the St. Louis Cardinals and Terry's brother, Eric, was a Pro Bowl returner.
Born and raised in Oxford, Mississippi, he played football at Oxford High School, where D.K. was a U.S. Army and MaxPreps All-American selection. The consensus four-star prospect was listed as the fifth-best prep player in the state of Mississippi by Rivals.com, as that recruiting service also ranked the 14th-best receiver in the nation.
As a freshman at Ole Miss in 2016, Metcalf appeared in the first two games of the season before suffering a foot injury which ended his season. He finished with two receptions for 13 yards, both of those grabs going for touchdowns before he was awarded a medical red-shirt. He was then named to the All-Southeastern Conference Freshman .Team in 2017. Appearing in twelve games, he caught 39 passes for 646 yards and seven sevens, all career highs. Those seven scoring snatches ranked seventh in the SEC that year.
A neck injury sidelined Metcalf for the Rebels' final five games, as the Biletnikoff Award watch list member pulled down 26 passes for 569 yards and five touchdowns. Prior to injury, he was ranked fourth in the SEC with five receiving scores and third in the conference in receiving yards. His fourteen career touchdown receptions are ninth all-time in program history. For his career, he caught 67-of-118 passes (56.78%) for 1,228 yards, gaining 467 yards after the catch (38.03% of total yards), dropping seven of those 118 targets.
The Scouting Report
Athletic Ability...Metcalf has the rare sized frame that scouts covet – a muscular torso, broad shoulders, quick feet, long limbs, thick thighs and calves, good bubble and excellent body control. There are flexibility issues (hip tightness) that affects his overall flexibility, but he possesses minimal body fat (1.8%) and despite his linebacker-like size, he still has room on his frame to add more bulk. He has excellent quickness getting into his route and is developing natural hands to go with ever improving body control. He has more than enough speed to get downfield, showing good balance to adjust to the ball in flight and has the leaping ability to compete for the ball in the air.
Metcalf still has some areas of his game to refine – route running and reaching and plucking the ball outside his frame. He is an emerging talent for a patient coach to unearth. He plays with good confidence and makes every effort to get to the ball in a crowd. You can see on film that he was bigger and much faster than any cornerback that challenged him outside of the SEC last season (see Southern Illinois, Kent State, Louisiana-Monroe game, but vs. league competition, that saw him all but disappear (two catches vs. Alabama, three vs. LSU, one before hurt vs. Arkansas).
Metcalf is a fearless competitor, but not the type that will demand the ball, preferring to play within the team’s game plan. He is clearly the team’s best offensive weapon, but never complained about the way the staff did not fully utilize his talents.
Release... Metcalf is quick getting into his routes, but even with his impressive timed speed, he does not always generate explosion coming out of his stance. He knows how to sell the route and builds to top speed nicely vs. off coverage, but you’d like to see more suddenness from his initial release. He is a quick twitch type, but is best when allowed to fly down the sidelines and stretch the field, as he seems more comfortable running out patterns than complicated ones at this stage of his young career. He is much more pro-active when a cornerback gives him a big cushion, as he still has not developed hand placement and punch needed to beat the press.
He shows good quickness and a deceptive stride, where he can suddenly put on the second gear to eat up the defender’s cushion. He has valid strength to fight through a powerful jam, and when he is able to avoid it, he gets into his route quickly. Still, it is his moves off the ball that gets him most of his success in moving up the field.
Before his neck injury last year, Metcalf was getting to top speed much faster than expected for his height, eating up the cushion and blowing by cornerbacks. He also showed that he can hesitate to lull the defender to sleep, then accelerate to get separation. He is not pressed much because of his size and speed, but seemed more comfortable giving a shake and using his hands to free himself from the jam more as 2018 progressed, compared to 2016-17.
Acceleration...Metcalf can immediately eat up the cushion and get behind the defensive back, but must not short-arm when challenged by a physical press. He shows good hands to rotate and pluck the ball thrown behind him, but does cradle too many tosses when facing the quarterback (will short arm working in a crowd, resulting in seven drops the last two years). He does a much better job tracking the ball and catching over his shoulder in space and the deep secondary than he does playing over the middle (see Texas Tech, Alabama, Southern Illinois and ULM big plays).
He has the size and vertical jump to go up and make the catch over the middle, but you sometimes wonder if he has the durability to take a pounding there (neck injury in 2018; foot stepped on in 2016). He is better when using his long stride and vertical speed to stretch the field. It is evident that he has natural ball skills to adjust to the ball in flight and play it deep. He builds to top speed nicely, but does have some wasted motions trying to shed corners at the line of scrimmage. He can run a lethargic defender off the line of scrimmage and plays the ball well with nice adjustment skills.
Quickness...Metcalf can flat out fly down the sidelines. He needs to be more explosive out of his stance, but once he gets into his route, he builds his acceleration nicely. He is a long strider, but has good quickness off the line and the ability to eat up a defender’s cushion. He shows nice acceleration throughout his routes, but needs to develop an array of moves to set up the defender, as he does not do a good job of sinking his hips.
Route Running...Metcalf does a nice job of sinking his pads to come out of his breaks cleanly, but he will drift at times on deep patterns and has to stop taking soft angle cuts in the open area (loose hip issues). He takes long strides, but they are quick enough for him to get to his break point, thanks to his ability to lower his pads and drop his weight to generate the burst needed coming out of his plant. He has the speed to run off defenders and has started to develop a good feel for quarterback pressure, doing a solid job of working back to the ball. He rounds up field routes some, but has the body control to adjust and get under the thrown ball without having to break stride. His stop and comeback routes are sudden, a dangerous combination with his potential as a deep threat. He also uses a head fake to sell routes and is willing to find holes in zones over the middle.
Separation Ability...Metcalf is very effective escaping cornerbacks past the second level, especially when operating on slants and drags. He is not as effective working through a crowd, where he does have issues catching the ball (cradles it too much) when facing the quarterback. He knows how to settle into the soft areas, but on deep routes, he has to stop taking so many soft angle cuts. He has to be more explosive on tempo routes to gain valid yardage after the catch. He also must keep his head on a better swivel, as he does not always get that quick turning motion on curls and hitches. He has the ability to break down a corner’s cushion with his pure speed when going deep. He has the size to shade defender and a valid second gear to separate in the deep zone.
Metcalf has those large mitts for hands to be a vacuum going up to secure the ball and even makes those crowd-pleasing one-hand snatches, but he needs to do a better job of catching in traffic, where he is prone to short-arming the ball. He has good ability to plant and drive, turning nicely to catch outside his radius on deep tosses. He can bend and catch the low ball or jump and adjust to the overthrown passes and get to the ball at its high point.
Leaping Ability...Metcalf times his leaps well and it is rare to see him lose on a jump ball battle. He has some hip stiffness, but gets good elevation and extension to catch away from his frame. He also does a good job of using his long arms to catch the ball at its high point. In 2018, only three of 42 passes targeted to him were deflected by the opposition. He looks natural with his body control to get in position and make plays over his shoulder. He does a good job of adjusting to deep coverage and can get open and settle on deep throws better than he can going over the middle.
Hands...Metcalf is still a work in progress here. He has the large hands to easily palm the ball, but while he will pluck away from his frame and do a fine job tracking the ball on deep routes, he will revert to short-arming passes when facing the quarterback or working in a crowd. He has soft hands and makes good effort to haul the deep balls in, but he has to stop trapping the ball so much, as he did have seven drops the last two years. He can get to the low throws, but appears more comfortable when having to extend and reach for the sphere rather than making shoestring grabs (will need to re-accelerate after making the low catch).
Due to inconsistent hands, he traps the ball against his chest more often than not on short to intermediate throws. He can track balls over his shoulder and is able to secure the catch when stretched out on deep balls or throws to the sideline, making him an excellent red-zone threat. He is better adjusting to high throws than low ones, but can get down to make the grab if given room to do so. It is just that he loses concentration on easier passes at times.
Run After the Catch...Metcalf has very good quickness for a big receiver, making him a rarity with the success he’s had on screens. When he gets a seam, he has that extra gear to take the ball home (see Texas Tech, Alabama, ULM games games). He needs to develop better ball security though, as he runs with the ball too far from his body, inviting a defender to come and dislodge it. He has the power to break the single arm tackle, but there are times where he will simply run right into coverage. He does hunt for space and real estate after the catch, but must rely more on his burst to escape defenders rather than try to run through them.
Compares To...Breshad Perriman-Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Some compare Metcalf to Josh Gordon and others to Julio Jones, but while he has the initial explosion to eat up a gap against off coverage or blow by cornerbacks up at the line, his issues revolve around consistency of the skill sets, most notably catching the ball. He has shown plenty of flashes over his career of being a big time down-field threat, but this high-upside athlete will need time to develop into more of a football player. Like Perriman, his injury history could scare off a few teams.
MAYBE A BETTER OPTION IS METCALF'S WING MAN
Arthur "A.J." Brown-#1
The University of Mississippi Rebels
6:00.4-226
Agility Tests...4.56 in the 40-yard dash…1.56 10-yard dash…2.65 20-yard dash…4.26 20-yard shuttle…6.89 three-cone drill…36 1/2-inch vertical jump…10'-00" broad jump…Bench pressed 225 pounds 19 times…32 7/8-inch arm length…9 3/4-inch hands…78-inch wingspan.
Background...The two-sport standout was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 19th round of the 2016 draft and has participated in the team's extended spring training each of the past three summers. An Under Armour All-America selection at Starkville High School, the consensus four-star prospect was rated the fifth-best receiver in the country by 247Sports and Scout.com. He was also rated the state of Mississippi's second-best overall prospect by 247Sports.
Brown led his team to the Class 6A state championship as a senior, racking up 83 catches for 1,371 and thirteen touchdowns. Named first team All-State by USA Today, The Clarion-Ledger and the Mississippi Association of Coaches, he concluded his prep career by snaring four passes for 79 yards a touchdown in the Under Armour All-America Game, as he became the second-ever player to be selected to both the Under Armour football and baseball All-American games.
It was a recruiting nightmare before Brown enrolled at Ole Miss, as he received constant death threats because he decided to not attend local Mississippi State. Even when the Rebels were sanctioned by the NCAA for recruiting violations, Brown stayed in Oxford with new coach Matt Luke.
As a true freshman, he earned his first letter, starting every game that included one start in 2016. He finished fifth on team with 29 catches and 412 receiving yards, hauling in a pair of touchdowns. He ranked fourth among Southeastern Conference freshmen with 2.4 catches/game and fifth with 34.3 receiving yards per game.
Brown's "coming out party" happened in 2017, as he was selected to numerous All-American teams, along with garnering All-SEC first-team honors. The Biletnikoff Award semi-finalist was also the recipient of the C. Spire Conerly Trophy (best player in Mississippi). He broke the Ole Miss record for single-season receiving yards (1,252) and tied the single-season school record for receiving touchdowns (eleven) while pulling down 75-of-96 targeted passes.
That year, Brown led the SEC and ranked tenth in the nation in receiving yards. He also led the league, ranking 11th in the nation, in receiving touchdowns en route to becoming only the third receiver in Ole Miss history to go over 1,000 in a season. His 75 receptions hold third place on the school's annual record list. In the Egg Bowl vs. Mississippi State, he accounted for 167 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions in front of friends and family who had urged him to attend Mississippi State.
Brown collected 85-of-115 targeted passes in 2018, as he generated 1,320 yards, but only reached the end zone six times. The All-SEC first-team choice set the school season record for receiving yardage and the All-America second team pick also set the team mark for pass catches. His 1,320 receiving yards led the SEC and were seventh in the nation. He also led the conference and ranked top ten nationally in receiving yards per game (110.0) and catches. In 36 games, he caught 189 balls (254 targets) for a school career-record 2,984 yards and nineteen touchdowns.
The Scouting Report
Athletic Ability... Brown has that rare sized frame that teams look for in a split end. He has a thick physique with good length. He displays good weight room figures and has a tight waist, hips and good bubble. He needs to use his hands better as a blocker and to get a push off the line to defeat the press. He is not an explosive route runner, but shows a long stride once he gets into gear. He has good upper body flexibility, showing off with the way he extends and elevates to reach the pass at its high point. He lacks great timed speed and like most long striders, he needs room to operate and reach top speed.
Still, he does a nice job of dropping his pads and settling into the soft areas on the field. He compensates for a lack of suddenness by good body control through the route. He has good balance for route running and flashes the flexibility needed to extend for the off-target tosses. He also shows good ball security and uses his body well to shield the defenders from the pigskin.
Release...Brown compensates for a lack of explosive speed by using his size and hands to get a strong push off the ball. He does false step at times and needs to refine his footwork, but he shows good balance and crispness making his cuts. He is a long strider, but does accelerate nicely in the open. Because of his frame, he is not jammed much at the college level, but the bigger corners in the NFL could give him problems if he does not keep his pad level down. He is consistent at chucking defensive backs to escape, but must develop better change of direction and stutter-step moves.
You can see in his release that Brown is powerful off the ball. He needs to clean up his technique, but he has a natural body shake to dance off the line before getting held up or rerouted. At times, he will dance too much trying to get free, instead of sprinting off the line and getting into his route.
Acceleration...Brown does not have the world class speed to get past NFL cornerbacks. Despite his size, he has had better success lining up in the slot than when wide. He is a big receiver with the size to screen defenders and shows the reach and elevation to take balls of defensive backs, but he’s not going to beat them in a foot race. He is able to get open in time for the quarterback to get the ball to him and be effective on the bubble screen. He has better ability to get open in the short area, doing a nice job adjusting to uncover and getting to the ball quickly thanks to his field vision. He flashes just adequate speed in attempts to separate on deep routes, as he does not have superb acceleration after the catch, even when left uncontested, resulting in a steady stream of defenders having success trying to race him down.
Some scouts consider Brown more of a long-strider that builds speed as he goes. He does seem to be deceptive once he reaches top gear but it takes him a while to get there, which doesn't always translate to the NFL game. He competes well for the jump ball and will make some plays down the sideline when he doesn't get slowed down at the line of scrimmage.
Quickness...Brown is not sudden in his get-off and needs to improve his overall power burst to compensate for a lack of blazing quickness. He has natural strength, but must be more consistent with his hands to get into his patterns without being impeded. He is much quicker in and out of his cuts, thanks to his balance. Still, he needs to improve his footwork in order to generate a better initial step to escape vs. the NFL-type press. He is a deceptive runner, thanks to his long stride and has the size not to get slowed down at the line of scrimmage, but will not win too many long distance races deep into the secondary
Route Running...Brown uses his size to force the defender out of his backpedal and into a bail technique. He is best served when used on crossers, stops, outs, quick slants and control routes. He is not as polished on deep patterns, where he is more apt to round his cuts, as he takes more of a soft angle approach rather than 90-degree angle cuts. Use him on posts, bubble screens and hitches, if you want to get the best production out of him. He has good hip flexibility, but can be inconsistent changing direction. When he keeps his pads down and bends at the knees to shift his weight, he is much more effective beating the defender coming out of his breaks. He has above average body control and once he gains momentum, he has the functional hip swerve and head fakes to set up and con the defender. He appears fluid running with the ball after the catch.
When Brown shows good footwork at the snap of the ball, he can get a much cleaner release working against press coverage, but he could do a better job of using hands to swim/rip corners when they try to jam him. He appears to read defenses well and can locate seams working against zone coverage. Lat year, he did a much better job of gearing down quickly and squaring his shoulders to the quarterback on comeback routes (see Southern Illinois, Auburn games). One bad habit he needs to break is that he sometimes chops his feet too much and this affects his fluidity and explosiveness coming out of breaks.
Separation Ability... Brown needs to generate good footwork in order to gain separation. He did show better hand usage in 2018, but must be more consistent with his rip and swim moves to get a clean release. He does a nice job of locating and sitting in the soft areas on the field, but must understand that without great speed, he will have to improve his developing strength in order to power out and separate at the next level. He generally has too much company on routes (corners mirroring him tight) when he fails to deliver good hip sink on his cuts (when he runs too tall, he lacks the burst needed coming out of his breaks).
He is savvy coming back for the low throws and flashes good flexibility to adjust on the move. He will extend and catch away from the body’s framework, but will revert to absorbing the ball into his body, resulting in some dropped balls (mostly underneath), which happens when he gets too impatient waiting for the ball.
Leaping Ability...Last year, Brown was very good at adjusting and going over the top of a defender to get to the ball at its high point (see Kent State, South Carolina, Vanderbilt games). He has the body control to make the difficult off-target circus catch and does a nice job of adjusting to the balls coming over his outside shoulder. He has the leaping ability to get to the ball at the high point. He is very effective extending for the ball down the sidelines and shows a fearless nature going for the pigskin in tight quarters.
Hands...Brown’s hands are one of his best assets as a pass catcher, but a liability as a blocker. He shows good hand punch to beat the press, but needs to use rip and swim moves more often. He has the reach to snatch the ball outside his frame and tracks the ball well over his shoulder. Even when he body catches, it is not as a crutch. He has very good hands and can make all the catches. When he catches close to the body, he will drop the easy tosses, but when he maintains concentration, he has the reach and pluck skills to get to the difficult tosses, especially those that are along the sidelines, doing a nice job with his balance to keep his feet in bounds.
Run After the Catch...Brown’s strong-looking frame continues to develop. He might lack the blazing speed to take the ball to the house, but his long stride gobbles up quite a bit of real estate on the way to the end zone. He has the leg strength to break arm tackles and the hip snap to shift gears and pull away from second level defenders. Because he labors to reach top speed, he will get caught from behind, but is a load to bring down in one-on-one situations. He is able to break a lot of tackles and has enough quickness to elude second level defenders in space, but also has the power to run through arm tackles. No, he will never be called shifty, but he has enough wiggle to make something out of nothing on shorter routes.
Compares To...Kenny Britt-ex-New England Patriots...Brown is a wide target with strong hands. He elevates fairly well and can compete for jump balls. While he shows above-average body control in the air, he can lose focus when trying to make catches in traffic and occasionally drops a pass he gets his hands on. Still, he does an excellent job locking onto the ball without breaking stride, but has some problems catching passes thrown over shoulder when running vertical routes. He is best gaining real estate after the catch rather than trying to simply out-run his man. He shows excellent balance and body control in his routes and knows he has to be physical in order to gain separation.
