Noah Brown, WR
School: Ohio State | Conference: BIG-10
College Experience: RS Sophomore | Age: 21?
Height / Weight: 6-2 / 218 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 3rd or 4th Round
NFL Comparison: Pierre Garcon
College Statistics
Player Overview
Noah Brown has 33 catches in his career and has played in 14 games. I may need some college football historian to fact check me but that has to be one of the lowest production/experience totals ever for a potential NFL draft pick in the modern era. All indications are that Brown will be drafted and drafted relatively high. In 2016, he broke out on a nationally televised game in which he caught 4 touchdowns against Oklahoma one of which was a circus catch. Brown has incredible physical tools and I think despite a very limited sample size has the potential to be a solid #2 receiver in the NFL. He can go over the middle and make the tough catches, stretch the field, and is a dominant blocker. The team that drafts Brown will have the utmost confidence in their evaluation of him as practically there is only one season of production to look at and even less in personal statistics because of Ohio States issues in the passing game.
Strengths
- Well built receiver with good size and strong hands. His power and strength are evident as he is able to use his body to create separation and his hands to pluck passes out of the air.
- Great body control and ability to make contested and tough catches.
- Great fluidity and change of direction skill when making his cuts on routes.
- Dominant when asked to block.
Weaknesses
- Very limited playing experience with limited production.
- Over half of his touchdown production came in one game (Oklahoma)
- Lot’s of questions about his knowledge and familiarity of offensive schemes and a pro level route tree.
Let’s see his work:
The body control, adjustment skills and catch radius to make these types of plays are why NFL teams are really intrigued w/ Noah Brown. pic.twitter.com/tOrF7tlWyZ
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) February 10, 2017
Ohio State WR Noah Brown gets invite to NFL Combine: Will his decision to leave early pay off? @clevelanddotcom https://t.co/nK10mX7aGY
— Bill Landis (@BillLandis25) January 31, 2017
#OhioState WR Noah Brown one of the toughest evals this draft cycle. Raw route runner, lacks experience. But physical gifts are there.
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) February 10, 2017
I think Noah Brown will be better in the NFL than he got to be at Ohio State.
— Dan Kadar (@MockingTheDraft) January 8, 2017
Will never forget this catch by Noah Brown and wish him the best of luck in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/ttsswrZiE1
— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) January 8, 2017
How He Would Fit On The Redskins
Brown is a very intriguing prospect but one I would be hesitant on if the Redskins did select him. Brown has obvious physical skill but there is something comforting in being able to track a player's growth from year to year much less have some solid point of comparison and reference from game to game. Brown had a monster game that got everyone’s attention but the rest of the season was rather cool and he didn't come anywhere near that production again. As with Michael Thomas last year one can point to the offensive struggles through the air for Ohio State at the QB position for the limited production. Maybe like Thomas, all Brown needs is a good NFL QB to let him shine. On the flip side, the uncertainty is daunting especially when considering how uncertain in nature the draft is in the first place.
I compared him to Pierre Garcon because I see a lot of similar physical traits coupled with the ability to make tough catches and do the dirty work. If Brown’s NFL production comes anywhere close to Garcon’s his career should be considered a success. If that’s in the cards welcome to Washington if he fizzles out there will be plenty to point to as to why.