If the Chicago Bears are looking to improve on the offensive line, could they be looking at Orlando Brown Jr.?
Orlando Brown Jr. is the son of the late Orlando “Zeus” Brown, who spent 11 seasons in the NFL. Brown redshirted his freshman year, but was an instant impact player from his redshirt freshman year and on. As a freshman he was a Freshman All-American, as a sophomore, he was second team All-American, and as a junior, Orland Brown became a first team All-American and an Outland trophy finalist. Is he a player that the Chicago Bears could be eyeing up in the long term?
Measurables
Age: 21
School: Oklahoma Sooners
Strengths
The obvious when it coms to Orlando Brown Jr. is that his size, and arm length is above the threshold of what an elite tackle in the NFL should look like. He is physically imposing. Typically when he is able to get his hands you, it is over. He is so strong, and his reach is so long that there is no way to shake him. Take the play below for example. Orlando Brown Jr. is a mauler. He is ready to finish this defender off as he fell to the ground as well.
Orland Brown Jr. swatting pass rushers to the ground like flies can be seen throughout his tape. He is an outstanding pass protector who wins with the combination of strength, physical features and tenacity.
Weakness
Given his size, he is not the greatest mover. If you can get around his reach, speed is a way to beating him on the edge. There are also his issues in run protection. He is not a great mover in quick space, and therefore is unrefined in run blocking. There are times where he will rely on his reach too often, and he can get dinged for holding penalties because of it. He also is not the most comfortable in moving into the second level.
NFL comparison Trent Brown, 49ers
Trent Brown is 6’8″, 355, which is well above average for an offensive lineman. He faces some of the similar issues with movement as Orland Brown. One of the things that Trent Brown had to do was learn to adjust to right tackle.
This may be something that is eventually asked of Orland Brown as well. If Brown is able to make a smooth transition and is able to grow his game while doing so, he can turn out a nice career at right tackle. A team can try him at left tackle, but it may give him a bigger learning curve.
Overall, Brown has a lot of the traits that can help him transfer his game into the next level. He needs to work on some of the finer things, but if he is able to iron himself out as he grows in the NFL, he will have a career as long as his father, and will hold a starting job, like Trent Brown.
A fit for Chicago Bears
There is no way that Orlando Brown Jr. can do anything to sneak into the top ten by the NFL draft. However, the stock of Brown seems to be one that is very up in the air right now. Depending on who you talk to he is either a first round starter with All-Pro upside, or a third round project with starter upside. Therefore, it is tough cast when the Bears should specifically try to go for him.
However, in the second round, it could at least bring up debate. Due to his physical skills, he is ready to start next season. If he can transition to the right side, he can serve as an equal value to Bobby Massie as a rookie. The team can shed some salary with Massie and move on knowing they now have both tackle positions locked down, due to the signing of Charles Leno this offseason.
It seems unlikely, but if Ryan Pace is one of the people who see him as the first round talent, a fall to the second round would certainly bring up the debate in the Chicago Bears war room.