Donald Brown Scouting Report

Donald Brown is not the quickest running back around, but he is a workhorse who pretty much single-handedly carried the Connecticut offense during the 2008 campaign. He tallied 2,083 yards on 367 carries and reached the end zone 18 times. As a redshirt freshman in 2006 Brown took advantage of an injury to fellow UConn back Terry Caulley and stepped into a starting role. He finished that season with a team-high 896 yards on 161 attempts. He also led the team with seven rushing touchdowns and added two more trips to the end zone through the passing game. Brown split starting time once again in 2007. His yards per carry average slipped to 4.8, but he was beginning to emerge as a promising back who has the strength to pick up yards up the middle and enough speed to be a threat on the outside. Brown will not measure out as well as some of the top prospects in the draft, but he is a proven workhorse. He might lack the flash and speed of some of the other backs, but he will give any team a solid and consistent effort. Brown will forgo his senior season at UConn and he should be a second or third round selection in April. Some teams will want a faster change of pace back, but Brown would be a great short yardage runner and could end up being a top rusher on just about any team in the NFL. 4/16 Update: Brown has not blown anybody away with his speed and strength, but he does not do anything bad either. He has emerged as a steady, safe running back option and that is more than can be said for most others in this class. Most teams will look at Chris Wells and Knowshon Moreno first, but Brown should not be too far behind those two and could be gone early in the second round.