This is the second installment of our new PICK or PASS series as we approach the 2019 NFL Draft, and having looked at DK Metcalf earlier, today we turn our attention to the other receiver on our list: Marquise “Hollywood” Brown.
What is fascinating to think about as we compare the two receivers projected to be off the board first is how dissimilar these two guys are — in fact, I don’t think it’s possible to find two guys more different in this draft (aside from their speed).
Here are Brown’s measurables:
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 166 lbs
Because of an injury, Brown did not work out at the combine
The good news with Brown right off the top is that this isn’t a guy the Raiders have to worry about at pick No. 4 — and considering Oakland’s desperate needs on defense, this is critical! If the Raiders were to pick an offensive player, my hope and prayer is that they don’t do it until the back end of the first round — having already added 1-2 building blocks to their defense.
If that’s the case and Brown is still on the board at No. 24 or No. 27, then I’m intrigued.
The case against Brown is pretty simple: he’s small and the gap between him and some of the other receivers that might be available a round or two later probably isn’t that great. The case for him? He was probably the best receiver in college football last season.
While playing in the potent Oklahoma offense, Brown was the primary weapon of both Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray — to the tune of 132 catches for 2,413 yards and 17 touchdowns over his only two seasons in Norman (under-recruited out of high school, Brown played his freshman series at junior college).
It’s also worth noting that when the lights got brightest, Brown showed up — notching eight catches for 114 yards in the College Football Playoff game against Georgia.
If there’s something the Raiders are desperate for on offense, it’s a dynamic play-maker in the mold of Tyreek Hill — someone who can stretch the defense, make plays out of nothing and take the pressure off everyone else around him. On tape, Brown is exactly that — the prototypical deep threat who has the route-running abilities to operate on the inside as well.
The question is: will he hold up? At his current weight, he’s nearly 20-pounds lighter than Hill is, and he’s even 10-pounds lighter than Desean Jackson. The other question is whether Brown will be there when the Raiders pick at the back-end of the draft.
On NFL.com, four of the seven mock drafts have Brown going in the first round — three of which have Brown off the board before the Raiders pick at No. 24.
So what’s the verdict? This might be one of the tougher ones for me to evaluate for a number of reasons — first, because of the depth of wide receiver available in this draft. If a guy like Andy Isabella might be around in the third round, would I really want Brown with a first round pick? The other is simply because I’m imagining there being better players and more pressing needs available late in the first round (like cornerback, linebacker or pass rusher). Despite all that, however, the upside is too great to pass on Brown.
VERDICT: PICK
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