Weaknesses:
Summary: There has been a lot of hype and buzz that Arthur Brown could be a first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. For the majority of the offseason and during his senior season, Brown was considered to be a second-day selection. With the 2013 NFL Draft having a lot of depth but lacking players with elite talent, there is the distinct possibility that some players could rise late to crack the top 32. Brown is one of those candidates.
After being a top recruit, Brown started out his college career at Miami. He was a backup for two seasons before sitting out the 2010 season when he transferred to Kansas State. His first season of real playing time came in 2011, when Brown recorded 101 tackles with 9.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks and one interception.
As a senior, Brown improved his play even though his numbers were about the same. Brown had 100 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, two interceptions, four passes broken up and a sack in 2012. He was excellent for Kansas State and was the heart-and-soul of the defense. As an effective team leader, Brown helped push teammates to play above their talent level. An injury kept him out of the Senior Bowl and Combine, but Brown interviewed extremely well with teams. He is a team leader and a good locker room presence. Brown lives, eats and breathes football.
There is no doubt that Brown has good instincts. He uses them to get in position to constantly be around the ball. He is a tough run defender and a good tackler. He operates well in space and does a nice job of reading and reacting.
As a pass defender, Brown is good in zone coverage and has some potential in man coverage. Right now, he would fair better covering backs out of the backfield than tight ends downfield, but if coaches ask him to do that he will work his tail off to pick up the ability to be functional.
Brown looks like a quick starter in the NFL. He probably would be best as a Will (weakside) linebacker in a 4-3 defense. That would help keep blockers off of him. Like almost all college linebackers, Brown needs work on his ability to shed blocks. He has a good starting point, especially after adding bulk this offseason. Brown could also stay in the middle but might not provide as large an impact. He also could function as a 3-4 inside linebacker.
Brown could come off the board in the 20-40 range in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Player Comparison: Lavonte David. Brown is a poor-man’s version of David. Brown isn’t as fast as David, but Brown is bigger. Both players are very dedicated players who are all over the field for their defenses. They rely on superb instincts and tackling technique to make their presence felt against the run. Both linebackers move well to cover ground in the pass game, although David is better than Brown. Last year, David was a second-round pick, and Brown could go off the board early in Round 2 in 2013.
NFL Matches: Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Houston, Baltimore, Buffalo, Jacksonville
There are a lot of teams that could consider Brown late in the first round or early in the second. The Bears are in need of young linebacking talent with Brian Urlacher having left the team and Lance Briggs aging. The Bears could consider Brown with their first-round pick. They could also move up for him in Round 2.
The Rams and Bengals both need to improve their outside linebackers. Cincinnati would be a good fit for Brown. The Bengals have a high second-rounder via Oakland and that would be a good spot to take Brown off the board.
Houston needs to add some inside linebacker talent next to Brian Cushing. The Texans are open to taking a linebacker in the first round but sound more likely to target the position in Rounds 2 or 3.
The Ravens have to get some talent at inside linebacker after losing Ray Lewis and Dannell Ellerbe. They could consider Brown with the final selection in the first round.
Jacksonville needs help at outside linebacker. If the Jaguars address one of their lines in the first round, they could target Brown at the top of the second round.
If Brown falls past the Jaguars and Bengals in Round 2, he could be a good fit for the Bills depending on if they land a quarterback in the first round.
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RELATED LINKS:
2013 NFL Mock Draft: Charlie’s | Walt’s
2013 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
2013 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
2024 NFL Mock Draft - April 23
NFL Power Rankings - Feb. 22
Fantasy Football Rankings - Feb. 19
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