The Crimson Tide has been pumping out offensive lineman lately. Deonte Brown is one of three linemen expected to go in the first two days of this year’s draft from Alabama. Like his fellow Alabama lineman, Brown is a very technically sound player, which is what you’d expect from an Alabama prospect. The first thing that stands out about Brown is his size. The guy is a massive 350 pounds and 6’4″ tall. For a guard, these are some seriously imposing numbers and should make NFL teams very intrigued.
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Player Bio
Name: Deonte Brown
Jersey: #65
Position: Offensive Guard
School: Alabama
Class: Redshirt Senior
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 350 lbs
Pass Blocking (8/10)
Brown is a super smooth pass blocker. He’s shown very good skill and has been a force on the inside. His problems come with speed rushers. These guys could just be straight bltizers, or come off of stunts and twists. He gets great leverage when starting his block and often rejects any counters thrown at him. His build is also a factor in his pass blocking. He’s got a really interesting build and is very wide. Guys can’t really go around him. There are times where they’ve just powered right through him but very rarely. Brown shows some serious promise in the passing game but has a good amount to tighten up.
Run Blocking (9/10)
Brown is very polished in the run game. He’s definitely a better run blocker than he is a pass blocker. His wide body makes it so hard for guys to shoot gaps on him and he really dominates the reps. He’s very powerful in this aspect of his play and we see his true strength here. He’s kind of a classic guard who can be used to pull and in traps and just provides overall dominance in the run game.
Technique (16.25/20)
As almost all Alabama lineman are, Brown is very clean with his technique. There are some issues here but overall he has a really good sense of what he should be doing each play. Brown plays very low to the ground and it seems to benefit him. Footwork-wise, Brown is pretty solid although he struggles when he’s not in between the tackles. His slides can just be a little too slow and he gets off balance. He has some things to learn but he will come into the NFL as a very technically sound guard.
Hands (7.5/10)
Brown has pretty good hands, but not great. He’s very active against pass-rush moves but has gotten beat a couple of times. His placement is really nice and he definitely knows where he needs to apply his hands on the defender for an effective result. From a power standpoint, we know he has power from other aspects of his game, but he doesn’t really deploy it here. This part of Brown’s game shouldn’t pose any issues at the next level but won’t be something to rave about.
Strength (9/10)
Brown is an incredibly strong player. His size really helps him here. His power is known in all of his reps and he really cannot get bull rushed. Unfortunately, Brown did not hit the bench press at his pro day, so there’s not a measurement to go off of. On the tape, however, you can really see his pure strength and ability to anchor down. There are not many true “put a player through the ground” power plays, but he’s still an incredibly strong player in a non-flashy way.
Athleticism (5.5/10)
This is a pretty interesting category for Brown here. He ran a 5.45 40-yard dash on his pro day. Obviously, this number is very concerning. On the field, he seems a little quicker than this but there are obvious issues. He’s used a good amount in tosses, counters, and pulls, but is not very quick to get out into space. Overall, Brown has shown flashes of good athleticism on the field but is just too heavy to be a good athlete in the NFL.
Balance (7.5/10)
Brown has very good balance in his natural position. He’s rarely knocked back and his strength allows him to stand his ground. Where it gets rough is when he’s used for pulling and counters. He’s often found stumbling and does not seem comfortable on his feet out in space. It will be interesting to see how teams use him because of this, but it should be able to get better as he changes his body to adapt to the NFL.
Versatility (7.5/10)
Brown is strictly a guard. There will be no talk of him playing tackle in the NFL or center. His arms are too short to be a tackle and he’s had no experience at center. A nice thing about Brown is that he’s lined up on the right and left sides of the line. This gives him a leg up on guys that don’t have this kind of experience and will certainly be a plug-and-play guy at the next level.
Competitive Toughness (4.5/5)
Brown is going to give a team something on every down. He fights like crazy to win his rep and finishes guys nicely. Alabama’s chemistry on the line was really neat and each player got the others going. Brown has fought through team suspensions and high weight throughout his career and each time has battled back to be a starter at the top program in the country.
Injury History (4/5)
Brown had a small injury in the 2020 season but recovered from it nicely. Something to watch is that he has had weight problems but with an NFL nutritionist it doesn’t seem like this will sprout up again.
Player Summary
Guards are not much of a premium in this year’s draft, but Brown brings some nice depth to the class. A guy who’s battled weight issues has a true comeback story. He’s a really strong player and super reliable guy to run behind. Brown is a traditional guard who has the potential to be a very solid starter in the league. He may need a year to develop but should be able to find some sort of role on whichever team selects him.
Player Grade (78.75/100): Third Round
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