By Rob StatonThere's never been any doubt about Charles Brown's ability. He was superb for the USC Trojans in 2009 as Pete Carroll's blind side blocker. Not many prospects have shown the kind of hand punch that Brown flashed at the college level and he's a perfect fit for teams looking for a more agile lineman to fit a zone blocking scheme.
The only issue was his size. Not many teams were ever going to invest a high pick in a guy weighing his list 285lbs. There was room on his frame to add some muscle and get bigger, the challenge was actually doing it ahead of the scouting combine. Good news for Charles Brown then that he weighed in an impressive 303lbs in Indianapolis. He's an inch shorter than listed in SoCal at 6'5", but he measured nicely in terms of wingspan (35 1/4 inch arms) - crucial for prospects who intend to stay at left tackle in the pro's.
I've been a fan of Brown's for a long time. I compiled my first 2010 mock draft at the start of November and had Brown listed as a potential top 15 pick - to the Seahawks. If he performs in drills as well as he's shown physically this week, he's a sure fire lock to go in the first round. He has to be on the radar for Seattle at #14 and his stock is likely to grow very quickly.
How did the other lineman compare? Get ready for Bruce Campbell to shoot up boards when he explodes in work outs. He weighed in at 314lbs, 6'6" and a wingspan of 36 1/4 inches. That's incredible. Anthony Davis weighed in at 323lbs and reportedly looked very toned - that's important because he's had trouble with his weight. Bryan Bulaga looks the part but his arm length at 33 1/4 inches is a concern. Not many starting tackles have arms that short in the NFL.
13 comments:
i think we all saw this coming (brown being a fast riser). So if we grade him worthy of the 14th, what do we do with the 6th and 40th?
How does the weight gain work? Do we assume that the 18lbs gained is combination of fat and muscle or was he also chugging a gallon of water and eating a fist-full of quarters right before the weigh-in?
What do you think about Bulaga's measurements? He ended up with 33 1/4" arms in the combine.
Brown had room to add bulk. He needed to hit the weight room. Not having seen Brown in shorts yet, it's hard to tell where the weight has gone. They make the big lineman wear figure hugging skin tight shirt/shorts (v. flattering) so it's easy to see what kind of shape guys are in. Last year, Jason Smith looked very toned and refined for his size. Eugene Monroe, at the same weight, looked very flabby.
Bulaga's arms are a well advertised issue. You want your lineman to have a good wingspan. The news just confirms what we knew - he doesn't have the longest arms. It's not an issue that will send Bulaga spiralling down draft boards because we knew it already. But there was no pleasant surprise here. You want lineman to have a minimum of 33 inch arms, pref. longer.
It's very positive news about Brown though. He has to be considered at #14.
Article updated to include information on other lineman. Bigger review to come later.
How horrible is it that we are obsessed with the precise physical measurements of a bunch of half-naked fat dudes?
Ben - lets just say, it's good we only have to do it once a year. I take it everyone remembers that Andre Smith forty yard dash at his pro day last year?
Yikes Rob, did you have to bring that picture back. Hope Cody learned something from seeing what Andre looked like.
Thanks for your updates Rob.
Hey Rob, what was Anthony Davis' arm length? You don't mention it in the post. Thanks for the great info! The only bad thing about Brown's good showing is that we will have to spend the 14th pick on him... oh well, it will be worth it.
@Anonymous,
Daniel Jeremiah is tweeting the combine at:
http://twitter.com/movethesticks
He tweeted the weigh-ins/measurements live and offers some interesting commentary.
Annonymous - Davis arm length came in at 34 inches. He weighed in at 323lbs and 6'5" in height. I'll have full listing on the top prospects on the blog soon.
Hey Rob and bloggers, rather than take a risk on a Davis at 6, I think taking Brown at 14 would be a better choice. Davis has the potential to be great but he is not NFL ready. Brown could start next year and still would have alot of upside for the future. Do you think 6 is to high for D. Morgan. ANY THOUGHTS FELLAS?
Hey Rob and Bloggers, At pick 6 I would take the best Defensive palyer available. Suh, Mccoy, Morgan, Berry in that order. With Suh and Mccoy off the board. I would pick D. Morgan with the 6 pick. Maybe trade down from 6 to 8 and pick up 2nd or 3rd round in the process. I would not wait until 14 to pick D line because the elite ones will be gone by then. At 14 I would take the best LT available. Brown is worthy of a 14h pick. He has alot of upside for the future and could also play next year, giving Matt a instant boost in protection. Okung will be gone, Bruce Cambell is injury prone, Davis is great but still a lil raw to start next year. Buluga has shotr arms and is a tad slow for his smaller size, Charles Brown will be the best all around LT available when we pick at 14. Not to mention, PC knows him well and is a typical Gibbs zone blocking lineman.
6. Trade down to 8 or 9 for a 2nd or 3rd rd pick before the Jags because they could pick a DE.
9. D. Morgan
14. Charles Brown.
40. Best WR available
2nd or 3rd Best DB available
4th Best DT available
5th Lagerrette Blount RB
6th BPA
7th BPA
WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?
It might be difficult to trade down a couple of spots, I think Buffalo at #9 could get the guy they want at the position (cant see Cleveland or Oakland taking a Bulaga for example, who would be a good fit for them).
I'm a fan of Morgan. I think he's a legitimate top ten pick.
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