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For much of the mock draft season thus far, Orlando Brown has been the most popular pick for the Cincinnati Bengals.
That is, until Brown turned in one of the worst combine performances a potential first-round pick has had in recent memory. Prior to the NFL Scouting Combine, Brown was safely projected into the first round of every respectable analyst’s mock draft.
Now, Brown may actually fall out of Round 1, according to NFL.com reporter Lance Zierlein.
The fall down the draft board for Orlando Brown will not be a small one. I’ve had more than one team tell me they think he could very well be available by day 3. We will see. Nobody sees him in the 1st.
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) March 6, 2018
Zierlein makes it sound like it’s a done deal that Brown isn’t going in Round 1, which really speaks to how bad the latter was at the combine. His 40-yard dash, which was reportedly in the 5.85 range, was one of the lowest marks of any player at the combine. It was so slow that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell actually outran him.
But the worst thing for Brown was his bench press, where he turned in a putrid 14 reps. Then again, he was arguably worst on his athletic testing, which included one of the worst vertical and broad jumps of any player at the combine.
Context on Orlando Brown's Combine, per @pfref's combine database:
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger_sherman) March 2, 2018
19.5" vertical (would be worst of any player ever drafted)
82" broad jump (also would be worst ever drafted)
5.85 40 (2nd-worst, the other was a 7th-rounder in 2001)
14 bench reps (tied for 4th-worst amongst OLs)
Orlando Brown combine update:
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) March 2, 2018
*14 bench reps
*official 5.85 40 yard dash
*yelled at by coaches during drills for loafing
It’s probably safe to assume Brown is no longer an option for the No. 12 pick, which is probably a good thing. Based on what the mock drafts are projecting, the best player available at No. 12 is almost certainly not going to be an offensive tackle.
If guys like Florida State safety Derwin James, Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith, Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea are still on the board, they all look like better prospects than any offensive tackle in this draft, so the Bengals may be better off not taking a tackle this high.