There’s been plenty of talk lately about the Denver Broncos taking a defensive lineman in the first round, and as we recently outlined, the defensive line looks pretty well set at this point. But the additions made this offseason shouldn’t preclude the Broncos from taking a defensive lineman early in the draft if the right guy falls to their pick, especially with the contract situations of some of them.
Today, we take a look at Texas’ Malcom Brown, a defensive tackle that has earned a comparison to the Broncos’ own Sylvester Williams. It’s a stretch to say Brown will be available at pick 28 for the Broncos, but like with Bradley Roby falling last year, things happen that you don’t often expect.
Malcom Brown is a very talented young player that had sort of a breakout season in 2014 with the Texas Longhorns. He’d be nice addition to the Broncos’ defensive line, but let’s take a deeper look at what he brings to the table.
Measurables
Strengths
As I said, Brown is a player that progressed this past season in a big way. At the beginning of the year, not many people pegged him as a first round pick, but he was granted early eligibility as a junior and decided to leave Texas, and he’ll receive a nice, big, fat paycheck.
This is a consensus All-American who led the Longhorns with 15 tackles for loss, as well as his 6.5 sacks this past season. He’s a playmaker from the defensive tackle position thanks to quickness off the snap, great instincts, and probably some of the best hand usage you’ll see from a defensive tackle in this class.
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Brown scrapes the offensive line well and is able to re-direct plays due to his ability to anchor and take on double teams while still keeping his feet moving. He’s able to penetrate and make plays in the backfield as well, and for a 20-year old defensive tackle that will be just 21 when the season opens, he does a great job of reading and diagnosing plays.
You want to talk about a guy that can take on responsibility as well, Brown has a wife and two children at the age of 20, and was able to excel on the field while balancing family and school as well.
According to what you read on the internet, coaches really like Brown, though I haven’t personally spoken to Texas officials and coaches about him.
This is a very motivated player who doesn’t have a nastiness about him, but there’s a clear toughness and excellence with which he plays the game that is evident. He can play a variety of different positions, and he can play them well, which would be a big reason why the Broncos might have interest in him.
Weaknesses
He has average measurables and athletic numbers for his position. He’s not like Dontari Poe, who just blew everyone away with his size, speed, and strength.
This isn’t to say that Brown isn’t a good athlete, because that would be misleading, however to point out that he doesn’t have the ‘elite’ athletic ability that’s going to make him a top 10 pick in this year’s draft.
He needs to upgrade his counter moves and overall pass rush arsenal, but that’s to be expected at this point in his career.
Fit With Broncos
I was reading an article on CBSSports.com that said the Broncos’ top need right now is at the nose tackle position, so I guess Brown could play there?
In all seriousness, the fit would be anywhere on the defensive line, likely starting at nose tackle. The Broncos can’t have already soured on Sylvester Williams after two seasons, but if a guy like Brown falls into their laps, they might not pass on the opportunity just because Sly is on the roster right now.
The concern potentially here is also the fact that Derek Wolfe, Malik Jackson, Marvin Austin, and Antonio Smith are all scheduled to be free agents after this year.
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