James Brown (American football guard)

Last updated
James Brown
No. 78
Position: Guard
Personal information
Born: (1988-11-30) November 30, 1988 (age 34)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:306 lb (139 kg)
Career information
High school: Amite County
(Liberty, Mississippi)
College: Troy
Undrafted: 2012
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:5
Games started:3
Player stats at NFL.com

James Brown (born November 30, 1988) is a former American football guard. He went undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft, and was signed by the Chicago Bears after the draft. [2] He played college at Troy. He was also a member of the Cleveland Browns.

Contents

Early life

Brown was born on November 30, 1988 in Chicago, Illinois, to Paulina Harness and Ellis Jackson. Brown has three siblings: Ellis Ray Magee, Joseph Harness, and Elaine Brown. He attended Amite County High School in Liberty, Mississippi, where he was teammates with Gabe Jackson. Brown started playing football in eighth grade, and said that football saved his life in 2004, when he opted to workout instead of visiting family, where a cousin of his and a friend were involved in an altercation that later led to them being sentenced to death. [3]

At Amite County, Brown was a two-way lineman. As a freshman, he was named Amite County's Rookie of the Year. He also won 2005 Mississippi state weightlifting championship in 2005. In his sophomore year, he earned Defensive Player of the Year after recording 103 tackles and 14 sacks on the season. After he had a class 2A high 108 pancake blocks in his junior year, he was an All-State selection, and repeated in his senior year.

Regarded as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com , Brown was not ranked among the top offensive lineman prospects of his class. [4] He initially drew interest from Mississippi and Louisiana State, [5] but that began to fade when his academic struggles became clear. On National Signing Day 2008, Brown chose to attend Southern Mississippi, over offers from Alcorn State, Arkansas State, and Jackson State, but never managed to meet the qualification standards. Instead, he had to opt for the junior college route.

College career

Before enrolling at Troy University, Brown played at Southwest Mississippi Community College, and was eventually named to the second-team All-Mississippi Junior College team in his sophomore year. [6] In his three seasons at Troy, Brown excelled, with 66 pancakes in 13 games in 2009. However, he also led the team with 9 penalties, as well as allowing 3.5 sacks. His best performance that year was in a victory over Florida Atlantic when he recorded a season-high 13 pancakes. [7] Before the 2011 season, Brown was placed on the Outland Trophy watchlist, making him only one of just 10 players on the watch list from non-automatic qualifying programs in the FBS, as well as being the only player from the Sun Belt Conference included on the list. [8] He was later invited to the 2012 Senior Bowl. [9] He majored in Criminal Justice.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3+3⁄8 in
(1.91 m)		306 lb
(139 kg)		34+1⁄2 in
(0.88 m)		10+1⁄4 in
(0.26 m)		5.19 s1.81 s3.03 s4.78 s7.70 s25+1⁄2 in
(0.65 m)		8 ft 6 in
(2.59 m)		24 reps
All values from the NFL Combine [10] [11] [12]

Brown was projected as a mid-round pick, [13] being named the 54th best player in the draft by Mel Kiper [14] and the 93rd best by Pro Football Weekly . [15] Despite his athleticism, Brown wasn't drafted in the 2012 NFL Draft, and was named by Scouts and NFL analyst Gil Brandt as the second-best undrafted free agent. Analysts believed that Brown's use of marijuana was a factor of him being undrafted, [16] along with concerns about his speed and strength. [17] Brown was ultimately signed by the Chicago Bears along with 10 others. [18] During rookie minicamps, Brown stood out and impressed Bears head coach Lovie Smith. [16] Smith commented on Brown, stating "He has stood out in the drills. You notice him. He's slim, athletic, good size, smile on his face and he was a pretty good player in college. However (he went undrafted), we're just glad he's in our camp." [19]

He was released on August 31. [20] He was eventually assigned to the practice squad. [21] On November 21, Brown was elevated to the active roster after Chilo Rachal left the team. [22] The Bears waived Brown on August 26, 2014. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel Idonije</span> American football player (born 1980)

Israel Idonije is a retired Nigerian-Canadian defensive end in the National Football League and actor. Idonije was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cleveland Browns out of the University of Manitoba. A draft pick of the now defunct Ottawa Renegades of the Canadian Football League, for whom he never played a game, Idonije spent the start of the 2003 season on the Browns' practice squad prior to his release in September. He was subsequently signed to the Chicago Bears' practice squad for the final six weeks of the season.

Brock L. Forsey is a former American football running back of the National Football League (NFL). He was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played football at Centennial High School before playing college football at Boise State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Spencer (American football)</span> American football player (born 1982)

Christopher Clark Spencer is a former American football center. He was selected with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft out of the University of Mississippi by the Seattle Seahawks. He has also played for the Chicago Bears.

Tory Collins is a former American football player who played in the NFL, CFL, AFL and the Indoor Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Banks</span> American football player and coach (born 1981)

Gary Rashad Banks is the current Outside Receivers coach for the Troy Trojans and a former American football wide receiver who played for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Troy.

Ekenemchukwu "K. C." Dennis Asiodu is a former American football linebacker. He was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and at the University of Central Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willie Young (defensive end)</span> American football player (born 1985)

Willie James Young Jr. is a former American football defensive end and outside linebacker. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at NC State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shepherd Rams</span> Shepherd University athletic teams

The Shepherd Rams are the athletic teams that represent Shepherd University, located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, in Division II intercollegiate sports of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Rams compete as members of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) for all 15 varsity sports since the 2019–20 academic year. They were previously competed in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) from 2013–14 to 2018–19, and before that, the now-defunct West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) from 1924–25 to 2012–13.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pernell McPhee</span> American football player (born 1988)

Pernell McPhee is an American football outside linebacker who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Ravens in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State. He has also played for the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario Addison</span> American football player (born 1987)

Mario Addison is an American football defensive end who is a free agent. He played college football at Troy. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2011. After being cut and spending time as a reserve for the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins, Addison was signed by the Carolina Panthers, playing on their defensive line for eight seasons before signing with Buffalo in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. D. Jennings</span> American football player (born 1988)

Melvin Delanie Jennings is a former American football safety. He played college football at Arkansas State and was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2011.

Phillip Emery is an American football scout for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He served as the general manager of the Chicago Bears from 2012 to 2014.

Isaiah Demetryst Frey is a former American football free safety. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football for Nevada.

Terriun Crump is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. Born in the Chicago area, he attended Rich Central High School and the College of DuPage before enrolling at Western Illinois University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trey Burton</span> American football player (born 1991)

Lawrence Godfrey "Trey" Burton III, is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football for the University of Florida and was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2014, and he won Super Bowl LII with the team in his final season with the Eagles, including helping execute the Philly Special. Burton also played for the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryce Callahan</span> American football player (born 1991)

Bryce Jordan Callahan is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at Rice, and signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taquan Mizzell</span> American gridiron football player (born 1993)

Taquan Mizzell Sr. is an American gridiron football running back for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at the University of Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Badara Traore</span> American football player (born 1997)

Badara Traore is an American football offensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU.

Elijah Hicks is an American football safety for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at California and was drafted by the Bears in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. J. Thomas (American football)</span> American football player (born 1999)

A. J. Thomas is an American football safety for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Western Michigan.

References

  1. ↑ "James Brown, Troy, NFL Draft - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  2. ↑ Jensen, Sean (2012-04-29). "Overlooked OT/G James Brown heads Bears UnFA list - Inside the Bears". Blogs.suntimes.com. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  3. ↑ "Troy tackle says football saved his life". Dothan Eagle. August 9, 2011. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  4. ↑ Rivals.com Profile
  5. ↑ "James Brown names a new leader". Scout.com. July 26, 2007.
  6. ↑ "James Brown | Troy, OG : 2012 NFL Draft Scout External News". Nfldraftscout.com. 2006-09-21. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  7. ↑ "Troy University - 2010 Football Roster". Troytrojans.com. 1988-11-30. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  8. ↑ "Troy University - Troy's James Brown Named To Outland List". Troytrojans.com. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  9. ↑ Troy Sports Information. "Troy's Brown invited to Senior Bowl - The Southeast Sun: Sports: troy football, trojans, james brown, senior bowl, steve hale". The Southeast Sun. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  10. ↑ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - James Brown". Nfl.com. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  11. ↑ "NFL Videos: 2012 combine workout: James Brown". Nfl.com. 2012-02-29. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  12. ↑ "NFL Draft Scout".
  13. ↑ Buckets, Sir (2012-05-11). "Five Questions With Drew Champlin about Bears UDFA James Brown". Windy City Gridiron. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  14. ↑ "Bears feel good about undrafted free agent James Brown | ProFootballTalk". Profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. 29 April 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  15. ↑ "Rookie's father a big Walter Payton fan". Chicagobears.com. 2012-05-11. Archived from the original on 2012-06-18. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  16. 1 2 "Chicago Bears: James Brown stands out in early going - Chicago Tribune". Articles.chicagotribune.com. 2012-05-12. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  17. ↑ "Bears could have a steal in Troy left tackle James Brown - Chicago Sun-Times". Suntimes.com. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  18. ↑ "Bears ink undrafted free agents to deals". Chicagobears.com. 2012-04-29. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  19. ↑ Hess, Brendan (2012-05-13). "OT James Brown Stands Out At Rookie Minicamps". Windy City Gridiron. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  20. ↑ Mayer, Larry. "Bears reach 53-man roster limit". Chicagobears.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-02. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
  21. ↑ Licensed, The (2012-01-09). "Bears Announce 2012 Practice Squad". Windy City Gridiron. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
  22. ↑ Mayer, Larry (2012-11-21). "Rachal leaves Bears for personal reasons". Chicago Bears . Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  23. ↑ Chicago Bears on Twitter: #Bears have reached NFL's 75-man roster limit by waiving T/G James Brown and CB Isaiah Frey.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.