2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Florida OL Trenton Brown

TRENTON BROWN- 6’8.5, 376- SR.

If you’re asked who the biggest prospect in the 2015 NFL Draft class is, you may respond with a name like Jameis Winston, Leonard Williams, or Amari Cooper. If we’re speaking literally, though, the biggest player in this year’s draft is Florida offensive lineman Trenton Brown, who measured in at nearly 6-foot-9 and 376 pounds at the Senior Bowl (his Twitter handle of “@PAUL_74_BUNYAN” is certainly believable).

Brown is a bit of an enigma, because he only played two years of Division I football at Florida, and during that time he was only a part-time starter. He showed some nice versatility, starting at right tackle during the latter part of 2013 and then playing mostly at right guard in 2014. Unfortunately, there’s not as much tape to evaluate on him as there is on most other prospects, as he was a rotational player throughout his career with the Gators.

While it is advantageous in some areas, Brown’s larger-than-life build also limits him. Both because of his height and weight, he appears to be uncomfortable getting into a stance. He’s pretty athletic for a player of his size, but he does not get optimal knee bend, which prevents him from being a dominant run blocker and causes him to bend his upper body too far forward while attempting to compensate in pass protection.
There are several simple technique issues that need to be corrected with Brown at the next level. Besides his exaggerated torso bend when pass blocking, he also fails to move his head to the appropriate side when run blocking, instead leaving it at the center on many occasions. Obviously it will also be a point of emphasis to try to get him to bend his knees more and get more out of his massive frame.

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Brown’s draft stock is very up-in-the-air at the moment. He is already going to be limited due to the fact that he did not get consistent playing time with the Gators. On top of that, teams are going to be turned off if he doesn’t do something to improve his physical condition. Brown emphasized to 247Sports’s Thomas Goldkamp at the Senior Bowl that he is a hard-working player, and he is aiming to get down into the 350s by the combine before ultimately attempting to reach a playing weight between 330 and 345 pounds. Brown credited his weight issues at Florida to his lack of affordable healthy eating options.

If Brown shows up to the combine in good shape and eases teams’ concerns about his conditioning, he could definitely position himself as a third-day pick. Another massive lineman who played in the state of Florida and struggled to get consistent playing time in college, Miami’s Seantrel Henderson, was a similar case a year ago. While the 6-foot-8, 330-pound Henderson didn’t have trouble keeping his weight under control, he did have issues with off-the-field concerns, and he did not ease those during the pre-draft process, failing a drug test at the combine and leaving his pro day early.

However, the Buffalo Bills still took a chance on him in the seventh round, and Henderson obviously had a wake-up call at some point before the start of training camp, as he went on to win the Bills’ starting right tackle job and start all 16 games as a rookie, showing the potential to be a long-term contributor.

As Henderson showed, if a lineman as big and athletic as he and Brown are can stay disciplined and work hard, he will be successful in the NFL. Teams are inherently taking a gamble on Brown due to his conditioning concerns and lack of experience, but if they can get through to him mentally, he should be a successful NFL player for years to come.

POSITIVES: absolutely ridiculous size…successfully carries out drive blocks on double teams…does a solid job of pulling…consistently keeps his feet moving until the whistle…can contribute at either guard or tackle…while he’s not exceptionally quick, he takes good angles and is impressively efficient in getting to his assignments…decently agile, moves well laterally…quality kickslide when dropping back in pass protection.

NEGATIVES: because of his massive build, he has trouble getting in a proper three-point stance…also needs to polish his two-point stance in pass sets, especially if he is going to play tackle…needs to lower his pad level as a run blocker…bends his upper body too far forward when pass blocking…lack of knee bend prevents him from being able to use his leverage to his full advantage…needs to improve head placement as a run blocker…spent two years at Georgia Military Academy before arriving at Florida, which reflects badly on his discipline and ability to learn.

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2014 Summary: Brown started six of the Gators’ 11 games this year at right guard while participating in a rotation with Tyler Moore. While his snaps were limited, Brown was able to contribute to a solid rushing attack that created 817 yards and six touchdowns for running back Matt Jones, 565 yards and six TDs for Kelvin Taylor and another 332 yards and three touchdowns on the ground for quarterback Treon Harris.

Even as a rotational player, Brown’s performance in limited reps (plus his incredible size) earned him an invitation to the 2015 Reese’s Senior Bowl. Reviews of his performance there were mixed, but the general consensus seemed to be that evaluators were impressed with how well he carried around his weight.

Talent Grade: Fourth Round

Rams Role: Jeff Fisher and his staff have shown a significant affinity for freaks of nature in the past, most notably when they brought in 6-foot-10, 400-pound offensive lineman Terrell Brown for minicamp in 2013. They’ve also taken flyers on a plethora of other offensive linemen over 6-foot-7 since coming to St. Louis, including Ty Nsekhe, Sean Hooey, Mitchell Van Dyk, and Steven Baker. With this in mind, the chances of the Rams’ personnel department being intrigued by Brown can’t be any less than 50 percent.

As if his size alone wasn’t enough to intrigue the Rams, the team really needs to add depth along the line this offseason. It’s probable that veteran starters Jake Long and Scott Wells will be released, while Davin Joseph and Joe Barksdale are free agents. The team is expected to make an attempt to bring back Barksdale, their starting right tackle of the past two years, but if he departs in free agency, the Rams could need to replace four-fifths of their opening day line from 2014.

In addition to the road grader build he possesses, Brown’s ability to play both guard and tackle should make him attractive to the staff. Guys like Chris Williams, Brandon Washington, Rodger Saffold, and Greg Robinson have made themselves desirable to the Rams through their ability to play both on the inside and outside, and that should give Brown an edge.

Brown’s weight will definitely be a factor—Fisher has shown an impatience for guys who can’t stay in condition, most notably Rokevious Watkins, who was released at the beginning of training camp in 2013 after showing up overweight—but if he can get into good shape, he’ll definitely be an option for the Rams. He could end up being a very good value, particularly if he’s available in the seventh round or as an undrafted free agent.

Film Watched: vs. Missouri (2014), vs. Alabama (2014), vs. Kentucky (2014), vs. South Carolina (2013), vs. Florida State (2013)

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