Troy Brown NFL Draft Overview
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6′-1″
Weight: 220 pounds
School: Ole Miss
2023 NFL Draft: Troy Brown Scouting Report
Troy Brown began his college football career at the University of Central Michigan in 2017, a season in which he did not see any action on the field. During the following 2018 season, Brown played in 10 of the Chippewas 12 games, including one start at linebacker. For the season, Brown totaled 19 tackles (13 solo, six assisted). He also made one interception and defended against a pass.
In the 2019 season, Brown started 13 of Central Michigan’s 14 games. He compiled 90 tackles (74 solo, 16 assisted), including one sack. He also recovered a fumble and picked off three passes while defending against another two. During the Covid-19 shortened season of 2020, Brown started five of the Chippewas six games. He registered 42 total tackles (31 solo, 11 assisted), including a career-high four and a half sacks, while also forcing a fumble in defending against a pass.
In what would be his final season for the Chippewas, Brown started 11 of 13 games, amassing 65 tackles (42 solo, 23 assisted), including a sack. He also recovered a fumble and had an interception, while defending against a career-best, six passes.
After the 2021 season, Brown entered the transfer portal and headed south for the University of Mississippi. In his only season at Ole Miss, in 2022, Brown put up mammoth numbers, especially in tackles. He had 93 (44 solo, 49 assisted), including half a sack, while also forcing a fumble and defending against five passes.
Strengths
- Has the speed to get around the edge quickly and efficiently;
- He has good transitional footwork which allows him to play inside or outside linebacker;
- Stellar against the run;
- Is able to get off of his blocker quickly and efficiently;
- Has exceptional hands that allow them to fight through blockers.
Weaknesses
- Somewhat undersized for the prototypical NFL linebacker;
- Needs to improve his upper body strength to contend with NFL offensive linemen;
- Has difficulty chasing ball carrier down, once they are past him;
- Playing edge is not his forte; lacks versatility in that respect;
- Teams will question level of competition while he was at Central Michigan.
NFL Comparison: Duke Riley
Teams With Need At Position: Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers
Projection: Round 7-UDFA
Bottom Line on Troy Brown
Troy Brown put together a solid career over his six seasons at Central Michigan and Mississippi, combined. What will intrigue teams about him is his ability to get around the edge quickly and efficiently to get into the backfield to make a play on either the ball carrier or the quarterback. He has good transitional footwork and plays a stellar defense, especially against the run. He does not get tangled up with his blockers for extended durations and has exceptional hands that allow him to fight through blockers in order to make a play on the ball carrier.
What may cause teams to pass on Troy Brown as a pick is that he is somewhat undersized for a prototypical NFL linebacker and needs to improve his upper body strength to contend with NFL offensive linemen. Additionally, he has difficulty chasing down the ball carrier, especially once they get past him. Teams cannot expect Brown to be in every down linebacker, especially at the edge which is an area he needs to work to improve.
Lastly, whether it is fair or not, teams will question the level of competition Brown faced while at Central Michigan, which is not a top-tier division one FBS conference (Mid-American), though Central Michigan typically is one of the stronger teams in the MAC. What teams cannot argue with is his performance in 2022 at Mississippi, which is a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), a Power Five conference and arguably the best conference in all of college football.
Look for Brown to be drafted in the seventh round, best case scenario, or to sign with the team upon completion of the draft, as an undrafted free agent, worst-case scenario. Either way, Brown will get an opportunity to show what he can do for an NFL team.
Main Photo: Christopher Hanewinc – USA Today Sports
