As the evolution of passing concepts and wide receiver skill sets continues, NFL defenses will need to have depth across the board of cornerbacks who can match up against elite athletes and play multiple zone concepts. Is Cameron Brown that player?
Brown hopes that a team gives him a chance to come in and compete, and if all goes well, the Ohio State CB could hear his name called during the middle rounds of the NFL draft. Below is everything you need to know about Brown’s scouting report.
Cameron Brown NFL Draft Profile
- Position: Cornerback
- School: Ohio State
- Year: Fifth-Year Senior
In high school, Brown was a four-star recruit who excelled at both wide receiver and cornerback for head coach Scott Pingel at Christian Brothers College. He graduated as a member of the ESPN 300, where he was rated as the sixth-best player in Missouri, regardless of position.
As a senior wide receiver, Brown caught 58 passes for 934 yards and 13 touchdowns. His junior year was even more impressive when he had 1,023 yards receiving with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Christian Brothers College went 13-1 in 2017 and won its eighth straight MCC title. He caught four TD passes in a 42-35 victory over Vianney to clinch the conference title, which helped him be named to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Super 30.
MORE: 100% Free NFL Mock Draft Simulator
Brown came into Ohio State and played right away, appearing in five games for the Buckeyes in 2018 as a true freshman before a leg injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season. In his sophomore year, Brown played in all 14 games for the Big Ten champion Buckeyes. He was injured again in 2020 after starting the first two games before being lost for the season.
Brown came back in 2021 to play in 11 games and start five times at cornerback. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference honors that year after registering 24 tackles, seven pass breakups, and an interception — the first of his career against Penn State.
Last season, unfortunately, saw a return of the injury bug for Brown. He missed five games due to a knee injury, yet was able to record five passes defensed. When he played, Brown’s coaches maintained he was a major asset to the secondary. It’s fair to wonder how much of an issue his injury woes will be throughout the evaluation process.
Cameron Brown Scouting Report
Strengths: Once-highly rated cornerback who engages receivers at the line of scrimmage, quickly flips his hips, and mixes it up with opponents throughout the route. Easily runs downfield with opponents and tracks the pass in the air, then gets his head back around and correctly positions himself to defend the throw.
Effective facing the action, quickly recognizes routes, and has an explosive closing burst to the ball. Fires upfield to defend the run, drives his shoulders through ball handlers, and wraps up tackling.
Weaknesses: Gives up inside positioning and struggles covering receivers on crossing patterns. Slow reacting to receivers’ moves off the line, gets turned, and tends to blow too many coverage assignments. Misses tackles, which results in big plays. Coming off a disappointing season.
Overall: Brown was highly graded and considered a Day 2 prospect coming into the season, yet his play fell off. He possesses outstanding size as well as speed and offers scheme versatility, but Brown really must get his game back on track to have any type of career at the next level.
Cameron Brown Combine Measurements and Results
The NFL Scouting Combine gives us a great opportunity to see how players stack up in various testing environments. Luckily, PFN has full databases of both NFL Combine measurements and NFL Combine results. Below is everything you need to know from Brown’s Combine performance.
- Height: 6000
- Weight: 197
- Arm: 31 ½”
- Hand: 9
- Bench Press: 10
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.57
Cameron Brown Current Draft Projection
With a grade of 3.52 on Tony Pauline’s Big Board, Brown is projected to go in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Brown is Tony’s 18th-ranked cornerback and 127th-ranked prospect overall.
Ohio State coaches maintain, had he been healthy, Brown’s production would have been much higher. And if NFL teams see the upside, he could see that fourth-round projection come to fruition.
One thing that could really get in the way of that is his athletic testing. Based on his Combine and pro day performances, Brown scored as a “poor” athlete according to his Relative Athletic Score. His agility and speed scores were poor across the board. Those two areas are key for cornerbacks. There could be concerns about his ability to change direction quickly and keep up with better athletes on deeper routes.
MORE: 2023 NFL Draft Cornerback Class
There are two picks owned by the Buffalo Bills where Brown could hear his name called during the NFL draft. In Round 4, Buffalo has picks 128 and 137. With a need at cornerback, they could grab one here. In fact, in the Pro Football Network Mock Draft Simulator run-throughs I’ve done, the Bills routinely use one of those picks on a cornerback — mostly at pick 137.
It just takes one team to see the upside in Brown that Ohio State coaches saw. To do so, they have to look past his injury history and poor athletic testing. How much are those things connected? That’s the question NFL front offices will need to answer before deciding to turn a card in with his name on it.