Mountaineers in the Draft: Jarrett Brown

Finally, before we have the “pleasure” of hearing Chris Berman huffing and puffing infinitely for the 3rd day in a row, wondering who does Mel Kiper’s hair, and John Gruden referring to coaches as “dumbasses”, I am going to preview quarterback Jarrett Brown. In my opinion, Brown should have went to “Gruden’s QB Camp.” Yes, that photo (courtesy of Yardbarker.com) was from his debut in December 2006 against Rutgers. It was cold that game, and I had to get out of there as soon as the game was over because it turns out the $5 Little Caesar’s Pizza I had before the game wasn’t cooked completely, but those 3 overtimes prevented that. Luckily, I prevented a story more suited for Deadspin from happening. Enough of my detailed memories from that night, let’s get on with talking about JB.

In his debut game against Rutgers, Brown completed 14 of 29 passes for 244 yards, one touchdown, and one INT. He also made 17 rushing attempts for 73 yards and one touchdown, and he was sacked twice. Brown threw the game-winning touchdown strike to win that game in triple overtime.

Here are his combine stats
Height: 6′3″
Weight: 224
Arm length: 34 7/8 inches
Hand size: 10 inches
40 yard dash: 4.54 (fastest QB at the combine.)
Vertical jump: 34.5
Broad Jump: 9’6″
60 yard shuffle: 11.91

Strength
Brown’s ability to drive the ball is by far better than others participating in field drills and when he is throwing, scouts and coaches are very interested in what he does since most are seen scribbling notes down on paper more so than for the other quarterbacks.

Weakness
Lack of experience, obviously. Brown only got one full season under his belt, and even then, had to sit out most of the 2010 Gator Bowl (I still shudder at how that game went down; before, during and after) allowing Geno Smith to play.

Analysis
Jarrett Brown’s extensive analysis (termed as a “Sleeper/Steal”) can be  found over at NFLMocks.com. They beat me to it.

Prediction
I honestly think he’ll be selected in the fifth round today. Sure guys like Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour and Cincinnati’s Tony Pike is still available, but I actually have high hopes for Brown. Maybe it’s the “WVU homer” in me. Who knows? Teams that still have a QB need are: Buffalo (let’s just say they have a need at every position), Jacksonville/Los Angeles, New England, Oakland, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Washington. Of course, it would be foolish to think Brown’s going to set the NFL on fire right away; and it would also be foolish to think that he’s going to be selected by a team listed as having a “QB need.”

Good luck to all of our Mountaineers in the draft! 6 days until the Gold/Blue game.