INDIANAPOLIS — NFL general managers and coaches are wondering the same thing you are about Noah Brown.
Why did that kid come out?
“That's what I intend on proving that I'm a football player who belongs here,” the former Ohio State wide receiver said on Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “When I hear stuff like that, I know this process is going to solve those questions.”
Those questions aren't going to stop until Brown gets drafted, if and when it happens next month. Analysts project him to be a late-round pick, mostly because he doesn't have a ton of game tape for scouts to pore over. Ohio State's passing struggles last season didn't help things, either.
“I can only control what I can control. Unfortunately, I'm not a play caller I can only execute the play that is called to the best of my ability,” Brown said. “I try to do that, I took a lot of pride in what I did. Blocking, whatever it was. I tried to do it to the best of my ability. Putting that on film can go a long way.”
Brown missed the entire 2015 season with a broken leg suffered in fall camp. He played some during Ohio State's run to the national championship the year before and the Buckeyes spoke highly of his progression as a big-time player. They still do, adding that he was a significant missing piece on the outside opposite of Michael Thomas, who now plays for the New Orleans Saints. The Buckeyes went 12-1 that season but missed the College Football Playoff.
“It only takes one team. If you can catch the eye of one team it's going to be a good situation.”– Noah Brown
Brown said he didn't feel 100 percent physically until the middle of last season. That means the four touchdown passes he caught at Oklahoma came when he wasn't all the way himself.
But with how quickly injuries wreck the careers of football players every year, Brown knew it was time to move on. Even though he admits it wasn't an easy decision.
“This was a dream of my childhood,” Brown said. “With everything I did last year and being injured the before that, this is the best opportunity for me.
“In 2015 I broke my leg and lost a year of being able to play,” he continued. “With the NFL, this opportunity, it's such a short window. I feel like that even though I might not have the stats as some other people, I made big plays in big-time situations. When my number was called, I made that play. I decided to come out and earn my keep in the NFL.”
The redshirt sophomore only caught 32 passes for 402 yards in 2016, his first as a starter. Those paltry numbers didn't deter him, however, nor did the idea that Urban Meyer blew up his offensive brain trust after a 31-0 whipping at the hands of Clemson in the College Football Playoff. Kevin Wilson and Ryan Day bring with them a wave of positivity for Ohio State's outlook on the 2017 season.
Had he returned, Brown would have been the unquestioned No. 1 option for J.T. Barrett on the outside. But he won't be playing football next season in Columbus, even though a majority of people that aren't important to him believe he should.
“Those people are the not the ones who are going to draft me,” he said. “They weren't the ones that got me to Ohio State. I gotta focus on doing what I feel I need to do and what is best for my situation. Hopefully turn doubters into believers but that's not really my concern.”
“If he felt like he's ready, he's ready,” Brown's teammate, Curtis Samuel said.
Brown said one of the first questions teams ask him is about his decision to turn pro. There is always going to be someone who thinks he should have stayed. But Brown is at peace with his choice because he has to be. He can't go back now and is confident his time in Columbus prepared him — “The minute you walk into Ohio State, you're tested,” he says.
So when Brown takes the field on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium, he will draw the ire of those responsible for making draft picks for their respective franchises. Brown said he won't run the 40-yard dash but plans to do everything else in an effort to use the opportunity he has been granted to prove the doubters wrong. That is all that is important.
“I think it's important for me to go out there and show that I'm a good football player,” Brown said. “When the football drills come, catch the ball, run good routes. Very important.
“Anything you can do out here on this big stage, if you can catch the eye, it only takes one team. If you can catch the eye of one team it's going to be a good situation.”
