Andrew Brown Has Raw Talent That Wasn’t Developed At UVA. Can The Redskins Get The Most Out Of Him?

Andrew Brown, DL
School: Virginia | Conference: ACC
College Experience: Senior | Age: 22
Height / Weight: 6-3 / 296 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 5th Round or 6th Round
NFL Comparison: Tyson Alualu

College Statistics

Player Overview

Andrew Brown was a 5-star recruit from Chesapeake, Virginia. As you can imagine he received a flurry of offers from more prestigious football programs such as Alabama, Clemson, and Ohio State just to name a few but chose to stay close to home and play for the University of Virginia. Brown never lived up to his recruitment status and largely put up average statistics and production while at UVA. Some blame (rightly) the coaching staff for playing him out of position and not using his talent correctly because he was playing as an interior lineman and even as an outside linebacker for a large part of his career. I think Brown would fit well as a 3-4 DE playing the 5-technique where he can use his excellent burst to penetrate gaps between the guard and tackle. His initial quickness is excellent and he doesn't stop working till the whistle is blown. He still has to figure out how to chain his pass rush moves and finish. He seems content with attacking without a plan and splitting the gaps or delivering a blow to the opposing lineman without doing much else. He has a ways to go and needs to learn how to finish but has a good physical skill set and should contribute as a rotational pass-rushing defensive end.

Strengths

• Good size, length, and a decent athlete for the position.
• Snap anticipation and initial burst and get off is impressive and disruptive. On his most effective reps, he pushes the lineman straight into the QBs lap. If he ever figures it out he will be a nightmare to defend.
• Motor and tenacity are great. He has active hands and doesn't quit on plays.
• Strong upper body allows him to compete at the point of attack instead of immediately being wiped out.

Weaknesses

• Needs to learn swim / rip and other disengage moves. Inside arm/shoulder gets caught on interior OL blocks and he doesn't know how to get off to continue his pressure. Hand fighting is sloppy and at certain points is little more than wasted motion.
• His forward lean causes issues with his balance. Take out his legs and his rush is stopped and he’ll go to the ground.
• Unrefined as both a run defender and pass rusher. Lacks vision and strategy.
• Pops up too soon and plays too high which puts him at a disadvantage regarding the leverage battle. Lacks the flexibility to turn the edge.
• He should never be asked to drop in coverage like UVA made him.

Let’s see his work:

More Andrew Brown videos

How He Would Fit On The Redskins

Brown was one of the top recruits in the nation coming out of high school but if you ask me he seems to have learned little during his time at UVA. Some of that can obviously be chalked up to the coaching staff and their questionable position choices for him but I would like to hear the story from him as to why he thinks he didn't get much better. Brown has the physical tools to be a very effective defensive end in the league but he is surprisingly raw and lacks much semblance of technique in many aspects of his game. For the team that is willing to spend a late round flyer on him, they will be investing in his physical skills and great on-field attitude. A good defensive line coach would do wonders for him. I think his most pressing issues are playing with better contact balance and improving his lower body drive and technique. Additionally, if his hand fighting was strategic he would actually be able to get off blocks and make some plays. If those two things happen then he is on his way to stopping some plays on run defense and might even record a few sacks. I think he is a couple of seasons away from being able to contribute in a meaningful way. The Redskins need DL depth and while I can’t say Brown is better than any player on the Redskins DL right now he does at least offer more upside than a few players. With what we have seen out of young players (Lanier, Ioannidis, Allen) we know that coach Tomsula may be the best in the league at coaching up young talent and leaving his impression on young DL players. For a 5th or 6th round investment Brown would be a player well worth the potential risks for what he could develop into.