Brown Working To Impress Scouts
MOBILE, Ala. - You'll never hear the Bucs talk disparagingly of left tackle Anthony Davis. Why should they?
Though he has his athletic limits, Davis has served the Bucs rather well the last two years, regularly providing their quarterbacks with adequate pass protection and their running backs with more than adequate running room while starting every one of their 32 games over that span.
That said, though, the feeling inside the walls at One Buc Place is that the Bucs can do better. And this year's draft offers them the chance.
Scouts consider Wisconsin's Joe Thomas to be one of the best left tackle prospects to come out of the college ranks in years, and there's a good chance he'll still be available to the Bucs even if they lose a coin flip with Cleveland and wind up picking fourth overall instead of third.
There's also a chance the Bucs could do the seemingly unthinkable and not only pass on Thomas, but draft another left tackle ahead of him.
Levi Brown certainly thinks that's possible. In fact, increasing the possibility of such a scenario is precisely why the Penn State product decided to accept an invitation to play in this week's Senior Bowl.
Well aware of the fact that many scouts rate him second to Thomas, he is here to prove to teams like the Bucs that there is more than just Thomas to consider if they're looking to spend their top-five or glamour pick on a left tackle.
"I don't like to brag, but I think I'm the best tackle in this draft, and I want all the NFL scouts to see that for themselves," Brown said Tuesday following his North squad's workout at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
"A lot of scouts didn't get to seem me during the year, so I felt like I needed to prove it to them. I mean, some say Joe is the best and some say I am. Once the Senior Bowl is over, I don't want there to be any question who's the best."
One edge Brown definitely has over Thomas is that he's here. Joseph initially accepted an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl but later passed, saying he lacked the proper conditioning necessary to compete at a high level.
That didn't sit well with a lot of NFL teams. The Bucs, for example, were very disappointed to hear that Thomas wouldn't be coming. Whether it costs him on draft day or not remains to be seen, though.
One NFL personnel director said Thomas's body of work and the vast amount of film teams have on him should be enough to keep him at the top of the list of left tackles.
But the Bucs are a good example of a team that sometimes leans more towards choosing a player that impressed them and that they got to know while coaching them at the Senior Bowl.
They did that two years ago when they spent the fifth overall pick on Williams and a sixth-round pick on defensive lineman Anthony Bryant. Brown could benefit in much the same way. After all, he already has impressed the Bucs.
"He obviously looks the part [of an NFL left tackle," Bucs senior offensive assistant Aaron Kromer said of the 6-foot-4, 325-pound Brown. "He's big, he's thick and he's athletic.
"And he's got long arms and he's played in the Big 10 against good competition. And he's done a good job out here. We've talked about a couple things he needs to work on, but he's a good couple of days out here."
The areas the Bucs and even Brown says he needs to improve on are minor areas, things such as finishing blocks, playing with a little more aggression and making better use of his hands.
Everything else an NFL team wants in a left tackle Brown has come by naturally. He has the size, quickness and body control teams like, he recognizes blitzes and stunts quickly and he moves well from side to side.
He's so sound, in fact, that many are surprised to hear that he started his college career playing on the other side of the ball. Penn State coach Joe Paterno quickly put an end to that, though.
"I was a defensive tackle my freshman year, but Coach Paterno didn't feel like that was the right spot for me," Brown said. "I disagreed a little bit at the time, but I think right now it was the best move."
Few of those judging talent at the next level disagree. Even if he doesn't convince everyone that he's better than Thomas, Brown is still expected to be drafted somewhere in the first round.
And if some team does get Brown in the middle or late part of that round, they may one day say they got a steal, because you get the feeling Brown will never stop trying to prove he's better than Thomas.
"That's why I'm here," Brown said. "I really feel like I am the best tackle in this draft and I knew that if I came here and showed everyone how I can play that I could prove it. That's what this is all about."
Brown Working To Impress Scouts
Brown Working To Impress Scouts
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