Overview
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 226 pounds
School: Ole Miss Rebels
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.49 seconds
Bench press: 19 reps
Vertical jump: 36.5 inches
Broad jump: 10 feet
A.J. Brown 2019 NFL Draft Profile
A.J. Brown was a consensus four-star prospect from Starkville, MS. He was ranked as the 47th overall recruit by 247Sports. They also listed him as the second best player in Mississippi. As a senior in high school, Brown led his team to a 6A state championship where he racked up 83 catches that went for 1,371 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was named to the first team All-State by USA Today and was an Under Armour All-America selection.
As a true freshman, Brown appeared in every game for Ole Miss and logged one start. He finished fifth on the team with 29 catches and 412 yards with a pair of touchdowns. His sophomore year, however, is where Brown really broke out. He was selected to numerous All-American teams and received second-team laurels from Phil Steele. He was selected as a First Team All-SEC by league coaches, AP, and Phil Steele as well. He was also one of 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award. He broke the Ole Miss record for receiving yards in a single season with 1,252. He also tied the school record for receiving touchdowns with 11. Brown caught the third most passes in a single season for Ole Miss with 75.
His junior year ended up being just as impressive. He was honored with as a second-team All-America selection as well as first-team All-SEC. He set an all-time school record at Ole Miss in yards with 1,320 and catches with 85. His 1,320 yards receiving led the SEC and were seventh in the nation. Brown averaged 110 yards per game that ranked him in the top 10 nationally. He ended his career at Ole Miss as the all-time leading receiver with 2,984 yards. He also had the most 100-yard receiving games in Ole Miss history and fifth in touchdowns with 19.
Strengths
- good snap to his routes;
- best in the short to intermediate areas on the field;
- has the strength to get off contact;
- easily can pluck the ball out of the air;
- wins tightly contested balls;
- excellent concentration;
- works himself into a good position to play the ball;
- fights through contact in open space;
- great wiggle to force false steps;
- terrific around the boundary;
- tracks the ball well;
- very smooth in every aspect;
- acceleration in and out of breaks is superb;
- will lock up his defender with a strong block.
Weaknesses
- vertical receiving is in question;
- not very springy;
- cuts appear a little flat;
- can’t win on just speed;
- slow off the line at times;
- rffort at times can be questioned.
NFL Comparison:Anquan Boldin
Teams With Need at Position: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Oakland Raiders, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers
Projection: Round two
Bottom Line
A.J. Brown ended his illustrious career early at Ole Miss by leaving his junior year. With such a good class of wide receivers, does he match up with the best of them? He possesses numerous traits that should have him in the mix of the best receivers in the class. His play strength is second to none. Brown’s ability to fight through contact and win at the line of scrimmage is superb. When there’s a contested ball, he can fight through the defender and make the tough catch. His strength also allows him to adjust really well to the ball when he’s in the air.
He also dominates his blocking assignments with his strength. His effort when he goes out to block could stand to be a little more consistent, but when he’s tasked to do so, Brown usually excels really well. His route running is fantastic. He was asked to do a lot more than any other receiver at Ole Miss. Brown’s ability to snap routes off and lose his defenders is tremendous. He’s very deceptive with his routes whether it’s with his hops or with his head fakes. No one really knows where he is about to end up except for him and his quarterback.
Brown is very smooth in his route running as well. He can accelerate in and out of his breaks with ease. He may not have the separation ability that some of the top receivers have, but he can lose a guy in his routes and he does it fairly consistently. When the ball’s in the air, Brown tracks it very well. He is one of the best in this class at doing so. Rarely does he ever lose where he is at on the field when he’s tracking the ball. That makes him very dangerous on the boundaries. He deceives defenders with his eyes. The defender thinks he’s tracking the ball deep then he breaks his route off and snags the ball on the sidelines.
When Brown gets the ball in the open field, he has the ability to do some damage. He has a little wiggle to lose a defender and the strength in his lower body to fight through leg tackles. Put those two together and it makes him very tough to bring down. He’s not the most agile guy. He doesn’t shift left and right very well and his cuts can be flat at times, but he will break your pursuit angles. All of these impressive traits are all reasons he deserves to be talked as one of the top wide receiver prospects this year.
