Overview
Position: Wide receiver
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 168 pounds
School: Oklahoma Sooners

Marquise Brown 2019 NFL Draft Profile

2018’s First-Team All-American wide receiver Marquise Brown is officially entering the 2019 NFL Draft. Brown finished his 2018 season as the Sooners’ best wide receiver, hauling in 75 receptions for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. A big-play machine, Brown should find no shortage of suitors as he gets ready to enter the NFL.

Brown is the perfect example of what can happen to a player with a phenomenal work ethic. Coming out of high school, Brown didn’t have a single Division I scholarship. Instead of giving up on his dream, Brown spent his freshman season playing with the College of the Canyons. After one season, the Division I scholarship offers started rolling in, and Brown eventually landed with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Once with the Sooners, Brown proved that his freshman success was no fluke. Over his two-year Sooner career, Brown recorded 132 receptions for 2,413 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 18.3 yards per reception. Catching passes from Kyler Murray certainly helped him out, but there’s no denying Brown’s natural talent on the field.

Strengths

• Elite speed that should rank among the top of the wide receiver draft class;
• Home run ability makes him a threat to score every time he touches the ball;
• Strong hands;
• More than just a deep threat and is capable of getting open at all levels of the field;
• Able to adjust to off-target passes and position himself for contested targets.

Weaknesses

• Suffered a lisfranc injury;
• Undersized and will need to bulk up in the NFL;
• Could struggle against press coverage at the next level;
• Route running could use more polish;
• Might not survive NFL hits with his current build;

NFL Comparison: T.Y. Hilton, Robby Anderson

Teams With A Need: San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders

Projection: Round two

Bottom Line

Marquise Brown is one of the premier playmakers in this year’s NFL Draft. The speedy wide receiver has the ability to score each and every time the ball touches his hands and is an absolute nightmare in the open field. While he needs to become a more polished route-runner, he’s still developed enough as a wide receiver that he won’t be relegated to gadget plays a la Cordarrelle Patterson.

However, Brown’s foot issue is a serious red flag. Lisfranc injuries are one of the toughest to come back from and can sometimes permanently sap a player’s speed. Brown missed the NFL Combine while rehabbing his injury, so nobody knows how sure how his recovery is going. Additionally, some teams will be scared off by his smaller frame. Brown will need to add some muscle without sacrificing his elite speed, which isn’t the easiest thing to do.

If Brown didn’t have his foot injury he’d probably be a sure-fire first-rounder. However, his questionable health could make him slip into the second round. He won’t last long though, as his film easily makes him worth a second-round gamble. Ideally, Brown will overcome his injury and manage to be a legit NFL wide receiver. However, if he never makes it all the way back, Brown can still be dangerous under the right offensive coordinator. If schemed open, Brown’s speed and elusiveness will still make him a dangerous weapon in the National Football League.

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