'12 SC WR Chris Brown (Notre Dame Man)

[clashmore_mike]

Irish Sports Daily Forums

 

[TerryTate]

Irish Sports Daily Forums

There too

 

[Praytorian]

TY both.

 

[NDPhilly]

In the Film Room: Chris Brown
WEDNESDAY, 25 JANUARY 2012 14:00 BRYAN DRISKELL

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has often talked about his team’s need for more explosive playmakers on the perimeter of his offense. In the deep and talented Class of 2012 receivers the Irish needed to land a speedster, a player that is capable of striking fear into the hearts of future Irish opponents. Notre Dame finally found its man when South Carolina wide receiver Chris Brown (Hanahan, S.C./Hanahan) committed to the Irish in September. Despite constant pressure from a number of SEC teams, Brown has stayed true to his commitment and gives the Irish the explosive playmaker it desperately needed in this class.

Brown is one of the most underrated players in the nation. Despite his outstanding talent and high level of production he is a three-star prospect by every major service. It is hard to fathom how a player with his skill set and high school production can receive such a low grade, but make no mistake, when Notre Dame landed Brown it got one of the best receivers in the entire class. It would not be a surprise to see Brown eventually emerge as one of the top wideouts in the entire class when it is all said and done.

Brown is well-known for his track exploits, having posted the nation’s best distance in the triple jump as a junior and claiming a South Carolina state title in the long jump. As a junior Brown was also a member of the state champion 4x100 relay team and finished second in the state in the 200-meter dash. But what makes Brown such a huge pickup for Notre Dame is the fact he is far more than a track star trying to play football. Brown is a football player that also happens to excel in track. He has been a highly productive football player throughout his career. As a junior, Brown racked up 52 receptions for 1098 yards (21.1 average) and 16 touchdowns. The Hanahan standout also scored four defensive touchdowns, returned a punt for a score, and returned a kickoff for a score, giving him 22 touchdowns on the season.

As a senior, Brown missed a lot of time due to a broken collarbone, but when he was on the field he was unguardable. Brown racked up 33 receptions, 532 yards (16.1 average), and 12 touchdowns in just five games with a new quarterback. His length, speed, and production is why he was offered a scholarship by Arkansas, Cincinnati, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame, South Carolina, South Florida, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest.

SIZE/BODY/STRENGTH

The one area where one could raise concerns with Brown is in regards to his lack of ideal girth and strength. Brown is a wiry thin athlete with narrow shoulders and a narrow waist. He is always going to be on the skinnier side and will always lack ideal girth. His thin, athletic frame reminds me quite a bit of former Georgia standout Terrence Edwards, although Brown is a couple inches taller than the Bulldog star. When a player is as skinny as Brown, there will always be questions about his durability and ability to take a pounding while staying healthy over the course of a season. This will be an issue for Brown, especially after he missed so much time as a senior in high school to a broken collarbone. He will have to work hard to add some girth to his frame and put himself in position to stay healthy during his collegiate career. Brown has the frame to add a bit more weight and strength, but the 180-pound wideout will always be a bit on the skinny side.

Getting a bit bigger and stronger will also help Brown as a football player. While he will likely never be a player that breaks a lot of tackles or runs through the arms of defensive players, additional strength would allow Brown to pick up more yards after the catch at the next level. He gives good effort as a blocker and is more that wiling to mix it up in the run game. He keeps a good base and scraps with opponents on perimeter runs and in the screen game. At the next level he will need to add some more strength and size to have the same level of effectiveness in the run game. At this point he will have issues against bigger and more physical cornerbacks, but the effort is certainly there. His effort and willingness to mix it up as a blocker is another factor that could help him get on the field as a freshman. Additional strength and a bit more girth will also help Brown as a route runner. Cornerbacks that have good size and strength are able to get Brown off his routes with a bit more ease, something he must correct moving forward.

Brown does possess excellent length for a wide receiver. He has good height at 6-foot-2 and possesses very long arms. He does a fine job utilizing his length and making it a big plus for him on the football field. Brown’s height and length allows him to present a bigger target to his quarterback. His reach, combined with his quick hands, creates a much bigger window for quarterbacks to get him the football. He will be able to get to balls that a lot of other receivers could not get to just by his reach alone, and Brown makes it look easy. This trait helps widen the margin for error for the quarterback and will help create a higher completion percentage by his quarterback. As he gets stronger and learns how to use his hands better from a technique standpoint Brown could have an opportunity to be a dynamic every down player for the Irish.

ATHLETIC ABILITY

The Hanahan star is a tremendous athlete, one of the best pure athletes in the country. On top of having good length he also possesses explosive athletic ability. Brown ran a 4.44 during an Under Armour combine last summer, and more importantly he plays that fast – if not faster – on the field. He has game-breaking speed, the kind that can stretch the field vertically and horizontally. If Brown can work himself onto the field he has the kind of speed that forces defensive coordinators to account for him on every snap. Brown is able to quickly get on top of and by cornerbacks on go routes and post routes. His speed puts a serious burden on defenders, and even when they know he is running deep his speed still allows him to get over top. He will be a weapon on vertical routes from the moment he steps on campus at Notre Dame. Brown also has the speed to outrun the defense to the perimeter, something that could help him spend time dominating in the slot. In Notre Dame’s screen game, both the outside and inside screen game, Brown’s speed adds a brand new dimension to the Irish offense. He ran the inside “middle screen” a number of times in high school and it was a huge play for Hanahan. Brown does a great job catching the ball, quickly getting through creases, and then turning on the jets on his way to a big play. His ability to quickly get to top speed is impressive. Brown also has tremendous acceleration, something that allows him to run by defenders that have an angle on him. If Brown gets a step on the defense he will score.

Brown is more than just a pure speed player. The 6-foot-2 wideout is an explosive athlete, as evidenced by his domination on the track. During the Under Armour combine mentioned above, Brown also posted a 33.5-inch vertical jump and a 10’2” broad jump to go along with his impressive forty time. He possesses outstanding body control and balance, traits that are essential for a wide receiver. These traits will help him one day emerge as a dynamic route runner and effective after-the-catch receiver. Brown’s body control and balance also add to his outstanding pass catching ability, which is discussed below. The Hanahan standout also possesses quick feet and strong agility. Although he is not explosively sudden, he has very good foot quickness and is able to make quick cuts in space. Brown uses his speed to set up defenders and then quickly cuts away from them into open areas. He has good vision with the ball in his hands so he is able to quickly see and exploit open areas with his speed and quickness. Brown also likes to stay north-south as much as possible when he runs, making him even more dangerous.

Brown also has outstanding leaping ability on the football field. He explodes off the ground when he leaps. Not only does Brown get higher than his opponents, his explosiveness allows him to get off the ground much quicker than his opponents. This makes him extremely dangerous on jump balls and is a reason he is such an effective red zone weapon. Those traits are a reason Brown has caught 28 touchdown passes the last two seasons.

CATCHING ABILITY

As has already been noted, Brown is more of a football player than a track star. That is most evident when one sees him catch the football. Brown has outstanding natural ands and ball skills. He is a natural at wide receiver and knows how to go get the football, quickly plucking it out of the air. Not only does he have naturally strong hands, he also has very quick hands and he does a great job catching the ball away from his body. Rarely does Brown allow the football to get into his chest, which is a big no-no with young receivers. Not only is this proper technique, it also shows that Brown has supreme confidence in his catching ability. He does not need help from his body as he quickly absorbs the ball. Brown also does an excellent job of immediately tucking the football and securing it as he runs. One area where I would like to see him improve is with coming back to the football. He has a tendency to wait on the ball after he makes his cuts. I want to see him be more aggressive coming back to the football. He will find that the more he does this not only will he make more catches, he will also start making the first defender miss with greater frequency.

Brown tracks the ball very well and displays very good focus on the football. This allows him to make tough catches in traffic against closing defenders. His ability to make the tough grabs, combined with his length, makes Brown a quarterback’s dream. Brown also does an excellent job tracking the deep ball and he quickly snatches it out of the air as it approaches. He is able to run through the catch on deep routes and does not need to slow down at all as he prepares to make the catch, something that is not necessarily a natural thing with most young receivers. This particular trait, when combined with his speed, is what makes him such a dangerous and dynamic deep threat.

Brown also has outstanding body control, which was mentioned above. This allows him to quickly turn his body to the football, allowing him to then make tough grabs on passes thrown behind him and out in front of him. Brown also does a great job catching passes thrown behind him on vertical routes and on back shoulder throws. He is able to quickly turn his shoulders and hips, quickly snatch the ball out of the air, and then immediately land and run. Brown also does a good job going up for jump balls, he is very much a go up and get it type receiver. Not only does he get high off the ground he also shows a willingness to out-work defenders for the football. His body control allows him to leap directionally, allowing the talented wideout to out-maneuver and out-position defenders for the football. This allows him to quickly go up for underthrown deep balls, something that happens to him quite a bit thanks to his blazing speed. Brown’s ball skills and leaping ability also makes him a dangerous red zone weapon, something that should quickly translate to the next level.

ROUTE RUNNING ABILITY

The athleticism Brown possesses should allow him to eventually develop into a standout route runner, but he will need time to develop and a lot of good coaching. Brown has an idea of what he wants to do but he needs polish. His speed allows him to quickly get on top of and by receivers. When he gets off the line well he can immediately run past defenders and he eats up a lot of ground in a hurry. He also has the quickness and agility to explode out of his cuts when his technique is proper. Brown also has fluid hips, a trait that will allow him to quickly make the hard cuts and allows him to explode quickly out of cuts. His balance and quickness will also allow him to develop an impressive array of double moves, something that would make him extremely dangerous thanks to his speed. When his technique improves he will be able to get a lot of separation from defenders which will make him a tough player to play man against. Brown also shows a good understanding of how to work against zones at the high school level, giving him a good foundation to build open.

Brown needs a lot of work on his technique, and it starts with his stance. Brown spreads his feet too far apart front-to-back and puts too much weight on his back foot at times. This forces him to shift his weight at the snap and creates a lot of false steps. It also prevents him from really striding hard off the line at the snap. This technique issue prevents him from being as fast off the line as he can be, which is scary considering how quickly he does in fact get off the line now. It also forces him to have short and choppy steps with his first few steps as he regains a proper runner’s stance. Brown also has a bad habit of turning his head back to the quarterback well before he makes his cut. Not only is this a tell for the defensive back, it also causes him to lift his upper body and opens up his hips too soon, both of which cause him to be too high and too choppy when he makes his cuts. What this does is prevents him from utilizing his good quickness and agility and prevents him from exploding out of his cuts, something he is capable of doing with his natural athleticism. Brown also has to learn all the finer points of receiver play, things like attacking leverage, aiming points, using quick fakes to manipulate and move defenders, and using his eyes to get open. Brown also has to do a better job using his hands to beat the press and using his hands to fend of defensive backs as he works vertically on his routes.

The positive thing is that all of Brown’s route running issues are easily correctable. In fact, most of them can be greatly improved upon in just one fall camp. As he continues to then mature as a player and his fundamentals improve he will have a chance to someday develop into a dynamic route runner. In this regards I see him having the kind of route running potential as say an Isaac Bruce or a Marvin Harrison, which is certainly high praise that I do not often use.

OVERALL

There is so much to like about Chris Brown’s game. He brings tremendous speed, agility, and leaping ability to the game. His natural ball skills and vision also make him a dangerous wide receiver. What I love most about his game is the fact that he is a natural pass catcher and natural football player that is more than willing to get tough. He is not just a speed guy that has to learn the game, he is a football player with track speed and explosiveness. Brown was an excellent punt returner in high school, something he could certainly do in college if he can physically hold up to that kind of pounding. Notre Dame needs his kind of speed on offense, so expect to see the Irish coaches work hard to get him on the field as quickly as possible in some capacity. Brown’s ability to beat teams deep, make plays on the football, and explosiveness on screens/quick game makes him a potentially complete wide receiver. He has the speed and after-the-catch ability to play in the slot at Notre Dame. As he learns to get off the line better and gains more strength he could become dynamic in the slot, where he would scare teams with his speed on the screens and ability to quickly get over top of defenses. He has the length and ball skills to play outside as well, where teams would be forced to get their safeties off the hash to defend the deep ball, opening up the seams for the inside receivers. If Brown pans out he would add something to the Irish offense it does not have at this time. As he gets stronger and develops the finer points of the game he could emerge as one of the best sleepers in the Class of 2012.

GRADES

Size: 80 (Has very good height and length but is also rail thin and narrow)
Strength: 76 (Tough player that gives good effort but has to get a lot stronger to be an every down player)
Speed: 94 (Burner on the football field, great acceleration and vision, a true home-run threat)
Athletic Skills: 91 (Good quickness, good agility, great leaper, great body control and balance)
Route Running: 83 (Needs a lot of polish and fine-tuning but has a lot of natural tool, could excel here)
Ball Skills: 93 (Outstanding ball skills, tracks deep ball well, catches ball away from his body)
RAC: 88 (Speed allows him to make a lot of plays, can also cut into open areas, likes to go north-south)
Intangibles: 85 (Highly productive in high school, injury questions are only real concern)
Upside: 5
Overall Grade: 4

GRADE KEY
90-100 – Elite/Exceptional: Skill set is rare and gives prospect ability to dominate
80-89 – Very Good/Outstanding: Skill set is a significant strength
70-79 – Average: Skill set is solid, not a significant weakness
60-69 – Below Average: Skill set is not a strength for this player and could become a liability
50-59 – Very Poor: Prospect does not possess this trait and it is a definite liability
OVERALL/UPSIDE GRADE KEY
5 – Elite: Player is one of the best players at his position nationally, potentially dominant
4 – Very Good/Outstanding: Player is a potential standout and starter, could also play early
3 – Solid: Player is a potential contributor, could eventually start down the road

Kid will be a beast

 

[amgarvey]

I haven't had a chance to look at any of his highlights, but after that write-up wow, I couldn't be more excited for this kid. That was the write-up of a 5* player. Gunner's was very tame compared to this. I now look forward to having one of the top wr in the country for a few years.

 

[GoIrish2917]

Considering the whole Darby track thing.... Brown seems quite fast, How is it possible that one of the top football programs in the land does not have a fast track team? I would think that the ND football coaches would have no problem with their players running track in the spring as long as it does not interfer with their football workouts too much and only increases their top line speed... maybe I am wrong...

 

[rtrn2glory]

Considering the whole Darby track thing.... Brown seems quite fast, How is it possible that one of the top football programs in the land does not have a fast track team? I would think that the ND football coaches would have no problem with their players running track in the spring as long as it does not interfer with their football workouts too much and only increases their top line speed... maybe I am wrong...

personally i think it cuts into off season training if you get too in depth with it. cant go all out in track and expect 100% in the weightroom...imo

 

[Old Man Mike]

little thing called actually taking some difficult course work at Notre Dame??

 

[Irishnuke]

Considering the whole Darby track thing.... Brown seems quite fast, How is it possible that one of the top football programs in the land does not have a fast track team? I would think that the ND football coaches would have no problem with their players running track in the spring as long as it does not interfer with their football workouts too much and only increases their top line speed... maybe I am wrong...

Winter. Same reason cold states don't generally have good baseball teams. Southern states, CA, and the southwest can train all year outdoors.

 

[Irish To The Core]

Chris Brown is an exciting prospect, I don't know why he is only a three star recruit and quite frankly I don't care. He has size, speed and ball skills. Coach Luongo will make him strong enough to turn this guy into a perfect foil for Deontay, Devaris, Ferguson and (maybe) Atkinson. That is some pretty huge upside for the future imo.

 

[phgreek]

Chris Brown is an exciting prospect, I don't know why he is only a three star recruit and quite frankly I don't care. He has size, speed and ball skills. Coach Luongo will make him strong enough to turn this guy into a perfect foil for Deontay, Devaris, Ferguson and (maybe) Atkinson. That is some pretty huge upside for the future imo.

just watched this kid's film...ummm, am I missing something...this kid is lightning in a bottle...how'd the "experts" only hang 3 stars on him...

some days you scratch your head and say thanks to the man upstairs...

 

[IrishLax]

just watched this kid's film...ummm, am I missing something...this kid is lightning in a bottle...how'd the "experts" only hang 3 stars on him...

some days you scratch your head and say thanks to the man upstairs...

Indeed. Kid is athletic as hell, ran a 4.44 at UA combine, and was absolutely silky smooth and dominant on the field. If he didn't get injured for most of the season and/or had self promoted himself better (for a long time there was basically zero quality film on him out there) he would've been at least a 4 recruit. He and Baratti are the steals of the class.

 

[peoriairish]

just watched this kid's film...ummm, am I missing something...this kid is lightning in a bottle...how'd the "experts" only hang 3 stars on him...

some days you scratch your head and say thanks to the man upstairs...

Where were you able to watch it? The video on the first post of this thread says it's private, so I can't watch him. Any link to his film would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[CraigKrenzel]

Scout.com: Senior Highlights: Irish Commit Chris Brown

Video's on this page.

 

[BGIF]

Where were you able to watch it? The video on the first post of this thread says it's private, so I can't watch him. Any link to his film would be appreciated. Thanks.

Here's one along with a brief Scout article:

Scout.com: Senior Highlights: Irish Commit Chris Brown

By Brian Dohn
Northeast Recruiting Analyst
Posted Nov 2, 2011

This video is called "Mid-season Senior Highlights". It's about 6 minutes long. I didn't notice a date on on the video but the article is dated 11/2/11. Brown missed part of the season with a collarbone injury but came back with a big splash

In his last two games, Brown has 245 receiving yards and six touchdowns, and he also has a punt return for a score.
In his senior video, Brown shows speed to go with his long strides that eat up yardage quickly. He runs good routes and shows very good hands while being elusive after the catch and not afraid of contact.

The video in the OP now marked Private (didn't work for me either) is from his Junior Year.

 

[BeauBenken]

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lGA0ig2MC9o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Guys, Mr. Brown had me make this highlight video for a reason. lol

Keep in mind, this is all from one game.

 

[SJIrish]

Best of the 3 receivers in this class imo.

 

[phgreek]

Indeed. Kid is athletic as hell, ran a 4.44 at UA combine, and was absolutely silky smooth and dominant on the field. If he didn't get injured for most of the season and/or had self promoted himself better (for a long time there was basically zero quality film on him out there) he would've been at least a 4 recruit. He and Baratti are the steals of the class.

I don't want to short change any of the others...but I agree. If you look at how solid their commitments have been, and what they appear to be vs. how they were evaluated...I'm just pinching myself...did this really just happen ...nuts...just nuts.

Frankly given what we got in the more celebrated stars categories, plus the stealth haul...this class is VERY GOOD!

 

[phgreek]

Where were you able to watch it? The video on the first post of this thread says it's private, so I can't watch him. Any link to his film would be appreciated. Thanks.

...sorry, was out for a bit...but looks like BGIF got ya all squared up.

Edit:And Beau

 

[Chamellion]

Best of the 3 receivers in this class imo.

Couldn't disagree more, CB may be good, I think that Deontay will be special. Blackmon special.

 

[Old Man Mike]

We don't have to be making "betters-or-worses" with these guys. We have been blessed with the best receiving recruiting class in the country. They're ALL REALLY good. Praise the Lord!! We've been passed the Ammunition!!

 

[NDFANnSouthWest]

Couldn't disagree more, CB may be good, I think that Deontay will be special. Blackmon special.

Deontay ...all i can say is wow. He has the size speed and swag that is needed.

 

[Kanye West]

Chris Brown is really fast.
Greenberry is fast and big
Fergusion is big and has good hands.

I like this wr class, we could still get Neal.

 

[phgreek]

Chris Brown is really fast.
Greenberry is fast and big
Fergusion is big and has good hands.

I like this wr class, we could still get Neal.

...looks to me like Grenberry and Brown are bookends...same/same on size. From their film, they are both a handfull...to have them both on the field...Scary! Tickled to have them. They will make each other's lives easier...who can deal with both at the same time?

ND air corps...death from above! Yea Baby!

 

[Kanye West]

...looks to me like Grenberry and Brown are bookends...same/same on size. From their film, they are both a handfull...to have them both on the field...Scary! Tickled to have them. They will make each other's lives easier...who can deal with both at the same time?

ND air corps...death from above! Yea Baby!

I like Brown in the slot, he is just so fast. Very underrated along with Ferguson.

 

[NDhoosier]

I think Ferguson would be considered a possession receiver, which is not a bad thing, especially when he may be one of the only ones we may have. I would much rather have Ferguson be a reliable sure hands 7-10yd catch then secure the ball instead of another tall fast receiver. I think Ferguson may be undervalued by some ND fans simply because he doesnt have the speed like Greenbury or Brown. Ferguson is the one I am most interested in seeing how well he performs and how the staff uses him...

 

[North Buffalo Irish]

IMO, Brown is too tall and too much of a long-strider to be a slot guy. His running motion is effortless and he has elite speed, but he turns the old "quicker than fast" cliche around... he looks faster than quick to me (not saying he isn't quick!).

Prototypical size, amazing straight-line speed, great leaping ability, looks like he loves to run the Go route and battle 1v1 for the ball: that all adds up to an outside guy instead of a slot guy.

 

[koonja]

IMO, Brown is too tall and too much of a long-strider to be a slot guy. His running motion is effortless and he has elite speed, but he turns the old "quicker than fast" cliche around... he looks faster than quick to me (not saying he isn't quick!).

Prototypical size, amazing straight-line speed, great leaping ability, looks like he loves to run the Go route and battle 1v1 for the ball: that all adds up to an outside guy instead of a slot guy.

Can you provide the highlight or tape you saw on Brown that lead you to these conclusions? Not to be a ****, but the only one's I've ever seen posted on here or youtube were choppy and there's no way you could determine these things from those videos.

 

[North Buffalo Irish]

Can you provide the highlight or tape you saw on Brown that lead you to these conclusions? Not to be a ****, but the only one's I've ever seen posted on here or youtube were choppy and there's no way you could determine these things from those videos.

What do you mean you can't determine those things from watching 10 mins of clips on the kid? Watch the video Beau posted not more than 15 posts back and then watch Neal's tape and you can see that they are completely different players. Chris is listed at 6'2" and he looks tall in the film. On the punt return and interception return in Beau's video, you can see his gliding stride (as someone else put it in this very thread, not just me). He doesn't look like he wants to dance and juke around.

I never said he couldn't play the slot, and he may very well end up there. But IN MY OPINION (as I clearly marked my post), he projects as an outside receiver based on what I have seen, read and heard.

 

[phgreek]

Can you provide the highlight or tape you saw on Brown that lead you to these conclusions? Not to be a ****, but the only one's I've ever seen posted on here or youtube were choppy and there's no way you could determine these things from those videos.

...he looks like an outside receiver to me...but, speed has to be respected no matter where he is...so in the slot, that means he'd be open early, and then late again. Prototype Slot guys tend to eat cushion and pop open...or drag across the formation and find/create a window...thus "quicker than fast" guys who can create space at a point in time tend to live in the slot...yea depends on routes and coverages but thats how I see it.

This guy looks like raw speed, and someone I want on the edges so he can use the entire field to run away from people...or break their ankles becauses they are worried he'll run away...

I'm not Kelly...so he'll do what works best...truth is we'll see him line up in a couple different places is my guess...