Earnest Brown is Day 3 Edge option for Chicago bears

Earnest Brown was a higher recruit for the type of players Northwestern can usually bring into their program, and showed growth for Pat Fitzgerald in his program. The young defensive end was able to get on the field as a freshman but arguably had his best impact in college as a sophomore.

Earnest Brown missed time with an injury in 2019, and due to the shortened season in 2020 was unable to show that he was quite back to his potential upside. Still, Brown completed drills in the Pro Day in front of Chicago Bears scouts last week, so he is at the very least on their radar. What could he provide in the NFL?

Measurable:

Height: 6’4″
Weigh: 270 pounds

40-yard dash: 4.95s

Bench: 25

Vertical: 31″

3-cone: 7.25s

Statistics

Traits that Earnest Brown brings that can translate to the NFL

There is untapped potential with Brown. It starts with his worker-bee mentality. Brown fights to shed blocks and saw a lot of his production come on cleanup duty and effort plays. He is always finishing.

Brown has great length, and when he uses it, he can set an edge and also get a quick punch in on offensive tackles. For his size, he has a quick first step and has a package of tools that can be turned into a trusted pass rusher.

Concerns with Earnest Brown game translating to the NFL

You can see from his production that he was not consistently beating tackles. Brown can push pockets and finish off plays as a worker, but he does not have a go-to move that can ensure wins over tackles. Brown also labors to bend the corner and twist to the inside on rush attempts.

It is great that Brown gets off the ground and finishes plays, but too often you see him on the ground as he struggles to get his feet set. The injury-filled season in 2019 combined with the awkward 2020 seemed to have stunted his development and trajectory to where he is unrefined right now.

NFL comparisons for Earnest Brown

Starting by looking at his size and athletic attributes, we can get a physical list of what type of player we are looking at in Earnest Brown. Names that match his attributes include Josh Mauro, Deatrich Wise, Romeo Okwara. This is a pretty good look at the type of edge rusher you are getting.

For Mauro, he uses his size and length to create an inside-outside presence. Still, he has bounced around the NFL and is looked at for depth and special teams.

Deatrich Wise may be the best comparison for the type of player that you are getting. He is a rotational edge rusher who has not quite put it together despite providing a few sacks every year.

Meanwhile, Romeo Okwara could be what happens if Brown taps into all of his upsides. Okwara has 18 sacks in the past three seasons and wins with a combination of power and length. If Brown put all of the pieces together, he could be looked at as a respected rusher like Okwara.

Earnest Brown Fit with Chicago Bears

There is very little buzz around Brown, and most expectations are that this is a day three player. Still, for a player who put up seven sacks as a sophomore and has struggled to progress since then, there are worse fliers.

Especially for Chicago, who could use help on the edge. Barkevious Mingo may be waking in free agency, and James Vaughters is replaceable. Brown could jump right into the mix and compete to be a third or fourth edge rusher on this team. The issue with him is that he would be a player who does not drop into coverage much, and would almost replace Roy Robertson-Harris more than Mingo.

Still, considering the team may be losing Mingo and RRH, adding depth on day three to the line is not a bad option. There are flaws with Brown, but that is why he is going to be there that late. At that point, the Chicago Bears should be taking a shot on a player like him.