The 2019 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. The Game Haus will be doing scouting reports on some of the top prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft. Oklahoma wide receiver Marquise Brown has made plays for the Sooners in two seasons and is now ready to see how he can do in the pros.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAqduRoPP3E

Background

Position: Wide Receiver

Class: Junior

2018 Stats: 75 receptions, 1,318 receiving yards, 10 touchdown catches

Size: 5-foot-9, 166 pounds

After one season of JUCO football, Brown was able to go to Norman, Oklahoma to play for the Sooners. In his two seasons as a Sooner, he was a play-maker that helped lead Oklahoma to two College Football Playoff appearances.

As a Sooner, Brown hauled in 132 passes for 2,413 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. In his first season, he emerged as a big-play threat for Baker Mayfield at 19.2 yards per catch. His play helped him earn the nickname “Hollywood” from play-by-play analyst Gus Johnson, to pay homage to his hometown of Hollywood, Florida. For his final season at Oklahoma, he helped Kyler Murray become the second straight Oklahoma quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy, as his numbers rose in every category besides yards per catch.

NFL executives will love watching the tape of Brown, as there is a lot of speed and big plays. If he isn’t the first receiver off the board, he won’t fall too far, as teams will love to have his playmaking ability in their organization.

Strengths

The first thing that will pop out at anyone watching Brown’s tape is his blazing speed. His combine 40-yard dash time isn’t in yet, but it is clear to see he can outrun anybody on a football field with only a few exceptions. He’ll be able to create separation and big plays because of his speed at the NFL level. Brown is a deep threat because of his speed as well. Against man to man coverage, he is able to beat his man down the field often. When going up against zone coverage, safeties have to be aware of where Brown is at all times because he will burn them.

Another thing his speed helps is his run after catch ability. Brown ran a lot of screens and drag routes and was able to take the ball to the end zone for a touchdown. His run after catch ability is aided by the fact that he has great quickness and agility. He can often be seen juking defenders downfield to pick up extra yards.

Brown isn’t just a burner though, as he has a good route tree. He ran go routes, drag routes, slants, bubble screens, corners, posts and many other routes while at Oklahoma. Brown was able to run a lot of different routes, but was also running solid routes because of his quickness and agility.

Weakness

Brown lacks the size of an elite outside receiver in the NFL. At 5-foot-10, 168 pounds (not an official measurement yet), he doesn’t have the size to go up for balls and grab them against taller defensive backs or the strength to get off of press coverage against physical corners. Durability will also be an issue because of his size and injury at the end of the 2018 season.

While he normally has adequate hands, Brown did drop a lot of passes near the end of the 2018 season. He suffers from focus drops, but also doesn’t have the greatest catch radius. Brown also had the ball knocked out of his hands on several occasions and will need to be more sure-handed at the next level.

With his lack of size and strength, Brown will struggle to block at the next level. He gives effort in the running game as a blocker, but just doesn’t have the strength to get the job done. NFL teams will have to use him as a decoy rather than having him block if they are running to the outside part of the field to the side he is on.

Projected Draft Range: First round pick

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