Draft Analysis: Jason Brownlee

March 20, 2023 /
  • Height: 6’2″
  • Weight: 198 lbs
  • College: Southern Mississippi
  • Tape watched: Miami, Liberty, Rice
  • College Comparison: Devante Parker

Pros

  • Explosiveness
    It is one thing to produce high explosion ratings at the combine, it is another to back it up with your game film. Jason Brownlee epitomizes explosiveness with his jump ball aggression and quick twitch nature. He has great burst off the ball and can jump over anyone.
  • Release
    Brownlee may be my favorite receiver at the line of scrimmage. Rarely do defenders get a chance to put hands on him. He is detailed in how he sets his routes up. Brownlee has defined route stems and leaves defenders guessing with his quick footwork.
You can’t ask for more from Brownlee.
This is a perfect rep.
  • Contested Catches
    Jason Brownlee’s middle name is Moss. Seriously, Brown wins a ridiculous number of contested catches; specifically jump balls. He is so good at tracking the football and leveraging position in the air while extending his freakishly long arms to secure the football.

Midline

  • YAC
    Brownlee was not much of a catch and run guy in college. He thrived on mostly on downfield plays. Most of his catch and run situations came on crossing routes where separation was created by scheme and not player. He has average lateral agility; however, his size historically falls short in this area.

Cons

  • Speed
    A poor 40-yard dash and limited evidence on tape concludes that Brownlee won’t run by most defenders. The good news is Brownlee won separately from speed, and all of his testing numbers confirmed the same.
  • Route Running
    Brownlee’s release saves him more often than not in terms of separation. Brownlee’s explosiveness does not necessarily translate well into his route running. He often turns his head and/or shoulders too soon, and rarely sticks his foot in the ground on route cuts. There was limited opportunity for Brownlee to dissect zone coverage.

Overview

Jason Brownlee has distinct notes of CeeDee Lamb. Seriously, Brownlee’s ceiling could be enormous when put into a competent offense that doesn’t have Frank Gore Jr. (a running back) frequently throwing him the football. With back-to-back eight touchdown seasons, and a 16 yard-per-reception average this season, Brownlee has shown he consistently shows up in big moments. He is tenacious in the air attacking the football. He should have no issues with press coverage in the NFL. Those two sentences are enough for teams to take a chance on Day 2 of the draft.