Mike Brown, West Virginia

Yogi da Bear · Thu Apr 15, 2021 11:49 am

I read on Twitter that the Bears were showing a lot of interest in Mike Brown from West Virginia. Most of the Big Boards don't have him even on them. In fact, Drafttek was about the only one I could find that had him listed as the as the 28th ranked guard and the 444th player overall. They list him at 6'3", 348.

He's really impressive:

Me likey as a sixth round pick.

aussiebear99 · Wed Apr 28, 2021 5:35 am

House o' Pancakes

Grizzled · Wed Apr 28, 2021 12:47 pm

A big'n. The Bears need another Mike Brown. Competition for James Daniels. The interior OL has assumed more and more importance with the advent of short-passing games.

Grizzled · Wed Apr 28, 2021 12:47 pm

A big'n. The Bears need another Mike Brown. Competition for James Daniels. The interior OL has assumed more and more importance with the advent of short-passing games.

Moriarty · Wed Apr 28, 2021 2:18 pm

How many Late Round, Unsung, Long-Term, Developmental, Practice Squad Projects does 1 team need at OL?

Arkansasbear · Wed Apr 28, 2021 2:53 pm

The last time we drafted Mike Brown it worked out pretty well. Just saying

thunderspirit · Wed Apr 28, 2021 2:54 pm

Moriarty wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 2:18 pm How many Late Round, Unsung, Long-Term, Developmental, Practice Squad Projects does 1 team need at OL?

No idea.

Brown doesn't appear to fit their draft profile, however. When they draft someone, even late, that player tends to have really athletic traits.

Yogi da Bear · Wed Apr 28, 2021 3:35 pm

I think that draft profile changed with Castillo coming in as a line coach. Now, it seems like we're looking for bad asses along our OL.

Remember last year:

Lachavious Simmons in the draft:

And Dieter Eiselen as a UDFA:

And don't forget, I found Brown because I saw on Twitter that somebody posted the Bears were showing interest in him.

I think it's fair to say our OL profile has changed.

crueltyabc · Wed Apr 28, 2021 3:42 pm

I guess the new profile doesn't include any athletic testing?

https://www.mockdraftable.com/player/michael-brown <--- yeesh

Yogi da Bear · Wed Apr 28, 2021 4:14 pm

That's true, his testing was for shit. But when you look at that clip, it doesn't seem to matter. In my basket, I gave some reasons for it.

First, I think the guy has a lot of awareness and anticipation. It's why he can break off one block and get to the second level. And when he pulls, I think he identifies his target and is able to get into him before the guy realizes it--basically the essence of a trap play. When you're talking fractions of sections, often awareness, anticipation, and instincts can over come a lack of speed, particularly in the trenches.

Second, despite his low reps for an OG, he doesn't get beat much, certainly doesn't get run over. I think it's because of his low center of gravity and the fact that he carries most of his power in his ass and legs. If the guy can develop his upper body strength and a powerful punch (which he doesn't have), he could be downright scary.

thunderspirit · Wed Apr 28, 2021 5:58 pm

Yogi da Bear wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 3:35 pm I think it's fair to say our OL profile has changed.

Maybe, but I'm skeptical.

Hambright fit like a glove into the profile they'd established. We don't have any testing numbers for Simmons, but his arm length fits what they appear to prefer at tackle.

I mean, it's possible, but it would be a complete shift away from athletic zone blocking to power gap blocking, and would likewise require a complete overhaul of the offense. Athletic doesn't preclude mean & badass.

As I said, I'm skeptical.