2018 NFL Draft: Former Oklahoma Sooners OT Orlando Brown selected by Baltimore Ravens in 3rd Round

Nearly two months after a rough experience at the NFL Scouting Combine, former Oklahoma Sooners offensive tackle Orlando Brown has been selected in the 3rd Round (83rd overall) by the Baltimore Ravens!

Brown’s late father played for the Ravens from 1996-98 and 2003-05.

Prior to the unanimous All-American’s performance in Indianapolis, Brown was projected by most draft analysts to go in the first round. The numbers he put up (14 reps of 225 pounds, 5.85 in the 40, a vertical less than 20 inches and a short shuttle of 5.38 seconds) obviously cost him a lot of money, but there’s potentially a silver lining here. Brown is still a raw player in many ways and needs to refine his technique, and first-round OTs are typically expected to contribute right off the bat. This situation will likely allow Brown to get up to speed at a more reasonable pace and contribute once he comes into his own. He was always going to be a project, but this gives his team a bit more leeway to properly develop him into an elite offensive tackle.

As far as his strengths are concerned, you need not look further than the film to find them. He’s a massive human being (6’8”, 345), his arms are as long as any offensive lineman in the draft, and those arms pack a hell of a punch. Make no mistake — the bench number was bad, but Brown is easily strong enough to hold his own at that position. On top of that, Brown has a serious mean streak and plays through the whistle (and sometimes a bit too long after it).

The big OT is a legacy of his late father, known to many simply as ‘Zeus’. Zeus played for the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens for more than a decade before passing away suddenly when Orlando Jr. was 15, but not before leaving a lasting impact on his gifted son. The Duluth, Ga. product struggled with his weight as a teenager, eventually eclipsing the 400-pound mark. With the support of his family and coaches, Brown trained hard to work himself into one of the better high school prospects. After signing with Oklahoma and redshirting in 2014, Brown started all 40 games at left tackle from 2015-2017 and was the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year in both 2016 and 2017.

Brown has been compared to Seattle Seahawks lineman D. J. Fluker, who was drafted No. 11 overall in 2013, and Max Starks, the former Pittsburgh Steeler. He does a lot of things really well as a run blocker but still needs work as a pass blocker. If he puts in the work (he’s demonstrated that he can do just that), Brown could be Pro-Bowl caliber tackle. Needless to say, he could be the biggest steal of this draft.