Offensive tackle Orlando Brown entered the draft season as a potential first-round pick, but he didn't get selected by the Ravens until the third round after a poor showing at the NFL Scouting Combine tanked his draft stock. However, since joining the Ravens, Brown has remade his body composition and as a result, the Ravens might've gotten an absolute steal.
On Saturday, Brown revealed how much weight he's gained and how much body fat he's lost since joining the Ravens.
"When I first got here, I was 23 percent [body fat], 338 [pounds]," Brown said, per ESPN's Jamison Hensley. "Now, I'm at 350 and 19 percent. So, my body fat has changed a bunch."
Brown, who played collegiately at Oklahoma, registered only 14 reps on the bench at the combine, which was enough to destroy his first-round projection. Our own draft writer, Chris Trapasso, moved Brown from his No. 5 overall prospect to No. 28 overall after the combine. But Brown wouldn't get picked until the 19th pick of the third round (the 83rd overall pick).
That might end up being a steal for the Ravens. Not only has Brown remade his body composition, but he's also been drawing rave reviews. Joe Flacco is a fan.
Flacco on Orlando Brown: “he’s just so big. He swallows people up.”
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) August 10, 2018
And so is Pro Football Focus.
Per @PFF, Orlando Brown Jr. allowed no pressures on 35 pass-blocking snaps. It hasn't been perfect, but the #Ravens have to be very pleased with his development.
— Luke Jones (@BaltimoreLuke) August 10, 2018
None of this should be considered that surprising. Before the draft, Trapasso wrote that "a year in a professional strength and conditioning program will work wonders for him." It turns out, he only needed a few months to show real signs of progress.
The NFL tends to overreact to combine performances during the never-ending draft season instead of relying on actual game film. At Oklahoma, Brown looked like an NFL-caliber tackle who had the potential to anchor an offensive line. It wasn't until the bench press that the NFL draft community began to doubt his ability to become a shutdown tackle at the next level. Whether or not he develops into a top NFL player remains to be seen -- overreacting to the preseason is just as bad as overreacting to the combine -- but signs of progress are evident already.
The draft process hurt Brown, but it appears to have helped the Ravens land a first-round talent in the third round.
