The NFL draft is on the horizon which means a couple of things:
Football is getting closer
It's 'Plant Your Flag Szn'
Despite the strangest College Football season we have ever witnessed, the 2021 draft class is not lacking talent. In the spirit of 'Plant Your Flag Szn', I am going to take this opportunity to talk about one of my favorite prospects in the 2021 draft class that is quite frankly not getting the love he deserves:
Dyami Brown | WR | North Carolina
Photo: Grant Halverson/Getty Images
Look, I get it... With polarizing names like 2020 Heisman Trophy winner, Devonta Smith, 2019 superstar & 2020 opt out, Ja'Marr Chase, Rashad Bateman & speedsters like Jaylen Waddle & Rondale Moore in this class (amongst many others) it's hard to talk about everybody. It goes without saying that this is a loaded WR class. This class is so special, in fact, that one of the most talented & well rounded WR's in his own right has managed to fly under the radar to the tune of being ranked as the rookie WR 12 by FantasyPros.com. I think it's about time Dyami Brown get's the love and respect that he has earned. In this article I will dive into Dyami Brown's impressive collegiate career both on paper & on film and discuss why I think Brown is one of the best WR's in this class that not enough people are talking about.
Collegiate Career:
Athletic Profile:
Official stats from Brown's Pro Day, 3/29/21
Age: 21 | Height: 6' 5/8" | Weight: 189 lbs.
40 yard dash - 4.46 / 4.50 seconds
Vertical Jump - 35.5"
Broad Jump - 10' 8"
20 yard shuttle - 3.35 seconds
3 cone drill - 6.87
Bench Press - 18 reps
Photo: profootballnetwork.com
Dyami Brown's athletic profile is impressive to say the least. There were a few things I was specifically interested in seeing from Brown's pro day: his weight, bench press & 3 cone drill. Here's why...
I was hoping Brown would weigh in around 195 pounds. His weight isn't bad to the point that I am worried about it, but for a 6' tall WR, 189 feels a smidge undersized. This could be inconsequential, I just tend to look for WR's around that 6' threshold to weigh in at or near the 200 pound mark. The bench press numbers were encouraging to me. I know that bench press might not a transferrable skill to being a WR, but the fact that Brown was still able to achieve 18 reps at 225 lbs. show me that he is physically strong enough to handle the physicality of the NFL.
The 3 cone drill has become one of my favorite drills, especially for the WR position. The 40 yard dash is neat, but it is really a test of acceleration and straight line speed... how often will an NFL WR have the ability to run *unimpeded* in a straight line? If that happens in the NFL, something went very, very wrong. I'm not saying that long speed isn't important... I am saying that the 40 yard dash is overrated. This should not be a hot take by now.
The 3 cone drill is a much more meaningful test where acceleration/explosiveness, precision, change of direction and speed all come into play. This drill directly translates to explosiveness off of the line of scrimmage, the ability to stop on a dime AND change direction, and finally the ability to accelerate out of a cut once again. D.K. Metcalf made the 3 cone drill (in)famous back in 2019 with a "slow" time of 7.38 seconds. A 6.87 second time on the 3 cone may not seem like it is that much better than 7.38, but in a drill where precision and burst matter, these fractions of a second are very noticeable. All this to say, 6.87 is a very good time, as it shows that Brown possesses more than just straight line speed.
College production:
2018 (FR): 31 targets | 17 receptions | 173 yards | 1 TD | 7.5% target share
2019 (SO): 90 targets | 51 receptions | 1,034 yards | 12 TD | 20.9 % target share
2020: (JR): 85 targets | 55 receptions | 1,099 yards | 8 TD | 23.8% target share
By the numbers:
Dyami Brown followed up a pedestrian freshman campaign with a breakout sophomore season. At just 19 years old, Brown led North Carolina in yards & TD's during the 2019 season. It's worth noting that Brown was playing 'second fiddle' to teammate, Dazz Newsome (JR) in 2019. Newsome accounted for 23.6% of the team's market share in 2019, but Brown still managed to outproduce Newsome in some major statistical categories as a true sophomore.
In 2020, Brown built off of his 2019 success, leading the Tarheels WR core in all major statistical categories and recording his second consecutive 1,000 yard season. Brown even emerged on the national stage, ranking 6th in receiving yards, forcing himself into the conversation with some of the nation's best WR's. Even more impressive, Brown was the only player in the country to record over 1,000 receiving yards and average 20 yards per reception. Brown established himself as one of the best deep threats in college football, as a result he chose to declare early for the 2021 NFL draft. I took a look at his 2020 film to see if his tape backed up the numbers.
Photo: keepingitheel.com
Film Study:
When watching Dyami Brown's 2020 film I was focusing on the following questions:
Is Dyanmi Brown a one trick pony?
What shows up on tape that the stat line will not reveal?
Will Brown's game translate to the NFL?
Now let's just go through these questions one by one.
Is Dyami Brown a one trick pony?
Absolutely not. Brown's stats indicate that he was an above average deep threat, which is very true. Again, Brown was the only player in the nation to average 20 or more YPC and record 1,000+ receiving yards in 2020. Brown's 20 YPC lands 15th amongst all players in 2020, but we must note that Brown was the only player on this list with 55 receptions, the next closest being D'Wayne Eskridge (WMU) who only had 34 receptions on the season. I'm not saying that Dyami Brown was not primarily used as a deep threat, he definitely was, but I am saying there is so much more to Brown's game than winning deep.
One factor that contributed to Dyami Brown's impressive YPC average was his ability to run after the catch. Brown's speed resulted in a LOT of cushion at the line of scrimmage. I legitimately lost count of the amount of times that I saw opposing DB's lined up 7-10 yards off of the line of scrimmage because they were worried about being beaten over the top. This soft coverage gave Brown plenty of space to be creative with his short & intermediate routes. Once he had the ball in his hands, he utilized his exceptional change of direction ability and acceleration to turn upfield and fight for more yards, often times initiating contact with the defenders. Brown's physicality both at the catch point & after the catch is one of my favorite parts of his game.
I will note that Brown almost exclusively lined up out wide on the left side of the field, regardless of down and/or distance. In the red zone Brown may occasionally show up on the right side of the field, but most plays that I saw were designed run plays. Brown was playing opposite of senior, Dazz Newsome, who played on the right side of the field. I'm not saying Brown can't play out right or even in the slot, but at North Carolina, he was almost always lined up at wideout on the left side.
What shows up on tape that the stat line will not reveal?
Speed:
I touched on this briefly above, but it's worth noting again... Dyami Brown was given a LOT of space at the line of scrimmage vs. every opponent that he played against. I believe this speaks to the pure speed that Brown possesses. Teams were willing to give him 7-10 yards on a regular bases and he still found ways to beat them deep. Brown routinely picked up chunk plays throughout the year, and his longest play of the season was an 87 yard catch and run.
Ball Tracking:
As a "deep threat", tracking the ball in the air is absolutely essential. Brown displayed elite ball tracking skills on multiple occasions. One of his most notable catches came vs. Virginia Tech. Brown used a subtle, but effective, jab step which froze his defender, allowing Brown to accelerate around him. Brown then had to slow down to adjust to a slightly underthrown ball by QB Sam Howell. This allowed the defender back into the play, as prior to slowing down Brown was well behind the defender. On film you can see Brown nearly trips as a result of contact with the defender, but maintains his balance through the contact and hauls in the pass for a 54 yard TD reception. This was one of my favorite plays in all of the games that I watched because it showcased Brown's speed & creativity, even on a simple 9 route. This was just one of many examples.
Route Running:
Brown's route running is superb. Even his deep routes are run with purpose. He can turn a go route into a work of art. Brown will ever so subtilty jam a foot into the ground, baiting a defender into hesitating... that hesitation is all Brown needs to accelerate around his man and it's off to the races. Brown is used to having a cushion at the line of scrimmage, he would use that cushion to his advantage by selling a deep route, stopping on a dime and accelerating in a completely different direction. I have no concerns about Brown's route tree, the only concern I would say I do have is that I have questions about his ability to consistently beat press coverage, especially in NFL. If Brown continues working on his release packages at the line of scrimmage and proves that he can beat press coverage in the NFL, the sky is the limit.
Blocking:
"Brown blocking downfield" showed up over and over and over again in my notes. These weren't meh blocks, these were meaningful blocks that actually created yards for his teammates. Brown may need to add some muscle to his frame to effectively block NFL DB's, but the fact that he is a willing and effective blocker is just another feather in the cap for Dyami Brown.
Will Brown's game translate to the NFL?
Obviously I am a huge fan of Dyami Brown, the answer to this question is a big reason why. Yes, without a doubt. In today's NFL, speed is an invaluable trait. Much of Brown's college production was predicated on the fact that he was faster than most of the other players on the field. While his 40 yard dash time is not overly impressive compared to the likes of Rondale Moore (4.29) or Elijah Moore (4.34), the film does not lie. Time and time again teams would commit to not letting Brown beat them over the top... and moments later multiple defenders would be in pursuit of Dyami Brown. Brown is more than just pure speed. In fact, I think his route running is a vastly underrated part of his game that will help him excel at the next level. As with any collegiate receiver, there is room to improve, but from day one Dyami Brown should impact any NFL team he lands on, which is precisely why I believe Brown deserves more love than he is currently getting. He has all of the physical tools, plus raw talent that you just can't teach. I think Brown is going to be a star in the NFL.
In Conclusion:
Pros - Speed | Route running | Ball tracking | Concentration at the catch point | Body awareness | RAC | Willing blocker
Cons - Slightly undersized for his frame | Played most of his career at UNC at left wideout | Some issues finishing catches through contact
Player Comp:
When I was watching Dyami Brown, I kept on seeing glimpses of another one of my favorite players, Chris Godwin. Before you mumble to yourself "Chris Godwin plays in the slot and weighs 25 pounds more than Dyami Brown, you idiot", take a look at Chris Godwin's collegiate scouting report. Yes, he plays all over the field in the NFL, but coming out of college, Godwin's scouting report was shockingly similar to what I saw when I watched Dyami Brown. Similar to Brown, Godwin profiled almost exclusively as an outside receiver. After 4 years in the NFL, Godwin has proven to be one of the most versatile WR's in the NFL. A guy who can line up anywhere and find a way to win.
While Dyami Brown's college film doesn't outright prove that he can lineup in other spots than just wide left, don't let what he didn't do in college college dissuade you from the fact that Brown is talented enough to line up anywhere on the field, he simply wasn't asked to do so at North Carolina (similar to how Jonathan Taylor wasn't asked to catch passes at Wisconsin...). One could even argue that the fact that Brown's role and North Carolina was so "specialized", it becomes even more impressive that he was still able to win consistently.
My Chris Godwin comp for Dyami Brown came predominantly from watching Brown's ball tracking ability & his knack for catching the ball and immediately turning up field to gain extra yards. Brown's ability to adjust to the ball while it is in the air and come down with a contested catch is phenomenal. Now factor in Brown's Pro Day numbers vs. Chris Godwin's combine results from 2017, the comparison grows even stronger.
Landing Spots:
In my opinion, Dyami Brown be best suited as a team's immediate WR 2. He has the ability to ascend into a WR 1, and could fill that role if asked to do so. But as a smaller framed WR, I think that a year or two of adding muscle mass and adjusting to the NFL physicality and game speed as a team's WR 2 would be beneficial, as he could thrive in that role right out of the gate.
Here are some of my favorite landing spots for Dyami Brown:
Green Bay Packers: My Packers, a team in desperate need of a WR 2 that just so happen to take their fair share of deep shots. The Packers have been plagued by inconsistent WR play out of MVS and Allen Lazard for the past two seasons. Adding a player like Dyami Brown would bring some much needed stability to the WR core without sacrificing speed. Plus, Brown will get to learn from the NFL's Release Gawd himself, Davante Adams. I believe Dyami Brown is a first round talent, and as the draft approaches, Brown may start to enter that late first round conversation. If the Packers take him with 29th overall pick, or even trade up in the 2nd round to get him, I think it would be a great fit for both sides.
Kansas City Chiefs: What do you get a team who already has everything? Another playmaker, obviously. With the departure of Sammy Watkins, there are serious questions regarding who will emerge as the WR 2 for Patrick Mahomes. Aside from Tyreek Hill & Travis Kelce, the Chiefs do not have a lot of reliable depth when it comes to pass catchers, and they are one of few teams who can afford to take a luxury pick in the 2nd round and snag a guy like Dyami Brown, adding yet another threat to a crazy talented offense. Patrick Mahomes + Dyami Brown would be special.
New York Jets: The Jets are positioning themselves nicely in their rebuild. The best thing you can do for a young QB on a rebuilding team is surround him with weapons early on. Zach Wilson is the new consensus favorite to be the No. 2 overall pick to the New York Jets. Following the 2nd overall pick, the Jets also have the 23rd, 34th, 66th and 86th picks, all falling in the first 3 rounds. While the Jets do have their fair share of team needs, I would also include WR in that list. Adding a playmaker like Dyami Brown to play alongside Jamison Crowder & Denzel Mims would put Zach Wilson (or whoever the QB winds up being) in a great spot , surrounded by young, talented WR's that can build chemistry with their new QB for years to come.
Tennessee Titans: The Titans have been one of the most efficient offenses in the NFL over the past 2 seasons. Losing WR Corey Davis & TE Jonnu Smith to free agency leaves Tennessee in desperate need of pass catchers. I understand the Titans are one of the run-heaviest teams in the NFL, but with the departure of former OC, Arthur Smith, newly appointed OC, Todd Downing, will look to put his finger print on this Titans offense, which could mean a slight shift away from the heavy reliance on the running game we have seen in past years. Adding a deep threat like Dyami Brown to play alongside A.J. Brown would be a lot of fun to watch, plus the Titans alternate unis already resemble that Carolina Blue.
Honorable Mentions:
Indianapolis Colts
Cincinnati Bengals
Philadelphia Eagles
As the NFL draft approaches, I am officially planting my flag on Dyami Brown.
As you have seen in this article, there is so much more than meets the eye with this player. The crazy thing is, he will likely slip into the 2nd round of your upcoming dynasty rookie drafts. I truly believe that Dyami Brown can (and will) emerge as one of the most productive WR's from this stacked 2021 class, both in 2021 and beyond. I'm just here to tell you that you shouldn't act surprised when it actually happens.
Photo: thegamehaus.com