Overview
Position: Offensive tackle
Height: 6’8″
Weight: 360 pounds
School: Oklahoma Sooners
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 5.85 seconds
Bench press: 14 reps
Vertical jump: 19.5 inches
Broad jump: 6 feet, 10 inches
Three-cone drill: 7.87 inches
20-yard shuttle: 5.38 seconds
Pro Day Results
40-yard dash: 5.63 seconds
Bench press: 18 reps
Vertical jump: 25.5 inches
Broad jump: 7 feet, 5 inches
Orlando Brown 2018 NFL Draft Profile
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more freakishly built specimen among this year’s draft prospects than Orlando Brown. The above height and weight statistics should make that glaringly evident. His father of the same name, nicknamed “Zeus,” played 11 seasons in the NFL from 1994-2005 but sadly passed away in 2011 due to complications from diabetes. He certainly would be proud of what his son’s accomplished to this point and hopeful of what he can do at the next level.
Brown was one of the last players to commit to Bob Stoops and the Sooners in 2014 as he gave his pledge on National Signing Day. The team’s depth and experience at tackle meant that he redshirted his first season in Norman. But from then on it was smooth sailing for the Duluth, GA native as he proceeded to start all 40 games he played in during the next three seasons.
In that time, he raked in a multitude of accolades for his solid play. The Sporting News named him to its freshman All-American team in 2015, a year which saw him become just the 10th freshman in school history to start at offensive tackle. He followed that up by winning Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year the next two seasons, joining an even more exclusive club of two other players to have won the award more than once. Brown capped off his collegiate career by earning consensus All-American honors in 2017. He was also named a finalist for the Outland Trophy, given to the nation’s best interior lineman on offense or defense.
Strengths
- boasts a combination of highly coveted physical traits for a tackle at the next level;
- immensely long arms he uses to good effect in both run and pass situations;
- anchors and contains defender with good hand placement and initial punch;
- able to effectively sustain and reset in pass protection;
- solid lateral movement when kick sliding to set the edge;
- doesn’t panic if initially beaten – can recover and get square with defender;
- aggressive and intense demeanor who plays to the whistle;
- allowed just one sack on 409 pass blocking snaps in 2017.
Weaknesses
- plays with a high pad level that, combined with his height, can enable low to the ground edge rushers to sneak underneath his hands;
- can get overleveraged by physical defenders due to lack of knee bend;
- tends to be a step behind the action when pulling to the outside;
- footwork is choppy and heavy when pursuing in space;
- oftentimes takes suboptimal pursuit angle with respect to second level blocking;
- struggles to diagnose delayed pressure from the outside.
- posted Combine numbers that can only be described as well below-average.
NFL Comparison: D.J. Fluker
Teams With Need at Position: Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers
Projection: Second to third round
Bottom Line
In today’s NFL, one of the most interesting battles between personnel groupings on opposite ends of the football is left tackle vs edge defender. From the standpoint of the offense, having a lockdown lineman able to keep his quarterback upright on a consistent basis is one variable in the overall championship contention formula. Brown has all the makings of someone who checks quite a few boxes in that regard. His gigantic frame and super long arms give him a rare combination of traits that are highly desired at the next level. Still, his clunky footwork and lack of superior athleticism are both legitimate concerns. His unimpressive Combine numbers probably impacted his draft stock as well. But overall, the consensus among player evaluators is that Brown can eventually develop into a consistent NFL starter and has a chance for such a role in training camp.
